Show Me Love
by RinFox
Summary: Loki is sent to Midgard as punishment after the Chitauri invasion on New York. When a woman catches his interest, will he want to leave her once his sentence is up?
1. Chapter 1

The skies in Asgard were as clear and as blue as they had always been, and the city as shining and beautiful since the beginning of its creation. In the throne room sat Odin, his wife Frigga standing beside him as they watched their son escorted by two Asgardian guards into the throne room. His clothes appeared regal and powerful, conveying the position that he once held in the realm. His hair, greasy and disheveled, surrounded his face and clung to his cheeks, dampened by tears he refused to believe he had shed. Strong hands clasped both of his arms as he made his way to meet his father, their grip in a vice mimicking the shackles around his pale wrists. His stride did not once break, nor did his eyes once waver from the All Father. One thing was for certain, take away everything from The God of Mischief - his freedom, his power, his birthright, but his pride always remained and it was _unyielding_. This truth was as clear and solid as the look in Loki's eyes as he promptly halted before his father, his shoulders squared back and his stance tall.

"Loki Odinson, _my son,"_ Odin began.

"Father, are you not aware that _I_ am the one with is the god of lies." Loki bit back, his voice thick with sarcasm. "It would be awfully embarrassing for you to think that you could lie to me of all people."

"Loki, you cannot deny that you are my-"

"Don't you dare insinuate that I was anything but a pawn to you," Loki hissed at Odin. "You are not my father as I am not your son. Do not continue to pretend that I mean anything more to you than that."

Frigga, silent and still since the moment the doors to the throne room opened, finally spoke up. "Does that mean I'm not your mother anymore than he is your father? Does that erase all the years that I cared for you, all the years that I've loved you as my own?" Like a ship treading through silent waters, her voice rang through his ears, calm and steady. Loki's eyes broke from his father's, and turned to focus on his mother. She met him where he stood and placed her hands on either side of his face, gazing into his eyes with the scowl and furrowed brow that could only belong to a worried mother. His eyes visibly softened and he reached out to her only to feel the tug of the chains around his arms. He sneered at the restraints, his eyes suddenly cast downward.

Frigga looked at her son. His eyes shone like glass and were framed with red around his eye lids. He hid it well from Odin, but he could not hide it from her. He was troubled, and she knew it. She could see it festering beneath the shadows of his lies and trickery. She brought his face to hers and kissed his cheeks tenderly before reaching to clasp his hands softly.

"Odin," She started, her gaze laying heavily on her son, "please tell Loki where he shall be paying his recompense."

Odin cleared his throat causing Loki to once again meet his gaze. "Loki...Laufeyson, you will be sentenced to a year on Midgard to carry out the sentence placed upon you due to the damage you've caused our realm. When the year has come to a close you will return to Asgard where it will be determined if you are fit to take your place among us once again." To conclude his decision he lifted his staff only to bring it back down to the marble floor causing sparks of electricity to fly from the sudden contact. Loki looked at the god and goddess that raised him in disbelief. His face twisted in disgust, "I'd rather waste away in my cell."

Odin leaned forward in his chair, his forearms resting on his knees. "As do I, but she is the reason you are not." He gestured to Frigga, still watching Loki with her kind eyes.

Loki looked anywhere but her, his teeth holding down his most powerful weapon he possessed which was pressed firmly to his cheek. The guards, at the wave of Odin's hand, escorted Loki from the throne room and towards the Rainbow Bridge. The god walked across the colorful bridge, each step taken filling him with more distaste. _How could Frigga send me there? What could she possibly be thinking?_

Heimdall stood resolute in the far distance, awaiting Loki. He exchanged glances with the guards briefly before they released Loki and proceeded back towards their posts in Asgard.

Loki decided to chance one last look at the Asgardian realm only to see Frigga rushing up to him. He frowned down at her and turned away from her, as petulant as a child. She brushed her hand over the top of his head to smooth his hair down. Just above a whisper, she told him, "I know this is against your wishes, my son, but you must trust me. Trust yourself. Your brother was sent away to Midgard and returned a new god. I know that you will find yourself once again, and perhaps something that will change the way that you perceive our realms." She caught his gaze and they help it for some time before he shrugged her off of him.

"You do not know what is best always, _Mother."_ The word left his lips like a bullet, aiming to hurt her in some way.

The goddess only looked at him, seemingly unaffected. "I love you Loki, my son." She glanced at Heimdall, receiving a respected nod.

Loki looked towards the gatekeeper as well, awaiting the gate to open and send him to the place he least wished to be.

"Loki." Heimdall regarded the god.

Loki sneered, "Oh, just get it over with."

Loki observed his surroundings closely. The air around him was thick with mist and fog. It was dark, the distant streets only illuminated by the yellow hued street lamps. The grass beneath his feet was wet, the excess water leaving small droplets on his heard the wet sounds of cars driving, their tires slick from the light rain. Using the little magic he was able to possess, Loki concealed himself from view and made his way down the street closest to him, his footfalls undisturbing to the puddles he passed. Cars drove by, people walked past him, all unaware of his presence. He could only continue on in disgust. He was too good for the ground he walked on, the mere presence of him too valuable for the planet he was currently inhabiting. _If only I could've lived out my life in that pathetic cell_ , Loki thought to himself. It was not as if he'd be in there for very long; Loki always had a plan. He glanced at the buildings that he past. They were simple in every aspect of the word. The brick used to build them was aged, the windows microscopic compared to the grand glass walls he would stare out of overlooking Asgard. The doors were not much bigger than the windows. Loki could not bring himself to admit that he would be spending his days among such lowly Midgardians. He passed by one building separate from the rest, with familiar objects in the window catching his eye. He read the words painted on the glass, now chipped from age: _The Rabbithole._

With a twitch of his wrist, the door to the building unlocked and eased open gently, allowing enough room for Loki to enter with ease. Closing the door behind him, he looked around. Books lined the walls, from floor to ceiling, each shelf filled with more than it could contain. There were stacks of them on the floor, some were man made while other were created simply from falling off the overfilled shelves. Loki took a deep breath and allow the stale smell of paper to fill his lungs. To his immediate left there was what he could only assume was a desk that was also covered with more books stacked quite unceremoniously on top of it. The wood from which it was made was chipped and scratched, but not a speck of dust was on it. Just beyond it were a flight of stairs. Loki climbed them, quiet as a shadow. Once he reached the top he was met with more rows of shelves that contained the same amount, if not more books than the shelves downstairs. It seemed rather like organized chaos, he admitted to himself. Past it all sat two chairs next to a much larger window overlooking the street on which the building resided. Loki looked out the window, taking in the buildings that he had passed and seeing the park where he had first arrived. The sky was dark, and Loki's energy was limited. He pulled a book from the shelf near him and sat in one of the chairs, reading the title _Anna Karenina._ Curious, he opened the book and examined the pages, his fingers running over the yellowed paper. The first sentence he read aloud to himself, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Loki rolled his eyes and tossed the book over his shoulder, the spine hitting the floor with a resounding _thud._ He continues to sit in the chair closest to him and stare out the window, planning on how he could make this city his.

A distant click and the sound of the door below him closing caused Loki to jolt awake, the muscles in his body tensing at the sudden intrusion. Still invisible, it took Loki only a few strides to reach the landing at the top of the stairs where he awaited the creature that impeded upon his comfortable solitude.

"Hmm, that's odd...I could've swore I locked the door after I left last night."

It was a woman's voice that hummed in his ears. It was quiet, almost hushed, but he could clearly hear every word that left her lips with near perfect enunciation. Loki descended the stairs to get a better view of the woman.

She was investigating the door that he unlocked the night before, turning the knob slowly back and forth as if trying to solve a puzzle. She looked around the floor near her, searching for something. He heard her muttering to herself, "He leaves me for a week to watch this place and I can't even keep the door locked." Loki smiled to himself, her actions he found oddly amusing. She gave up trying to solve the mystery and made her way to the desk covered with novels and textbooks. Taking off her top layers, she placed them on the back of the wooden chair behind the desk, and began to walk about the store, finding stacks of books on the floor and attempting to give them a home with the others amongst the shelves. Finding himself bored, Loki retreated to his seat next to the window, looking for another book to read.

Downstairs, Erin was sweeping the floor, her mind turning over in her head the morning's events. She chided herself repeatedly, saying, "How could you forget to lock the door? It's as simple as _unlocking_ a door...Rookie mistake." Putting the broom away in a nearby closet, she reached for the nearby stack of books and started placing them as neatly as she could on their appropriate shelves. The store did not open for another hour, but Erin liked the quiet mornings spent at The Rabbit Hole. Most of her mornings were spent arriving at work early to clean what she could just to spend the rest of her time in the shop reading. The store was never really busy, people rarely read books anymore. She had worked at The Rabbit Hole for a few years only to help the owner, Vincent, who had owned the building since he had moved to America thirty years ago from Poland. Now sixty-two years old, Vincent Sarkovski couldn't manage the store on his own. Erin had been a regular customer since she first discovered the place at nineteen. Now, five years later, Erin helped the older man run it a few days out of the week.

Through the front store windows, the sun was beginning to rise past the city buildings, painting the sky in a warm golden hue and erasing the cold blues left from the night sky. She looked out the window taking in a deep breath and releasing it before the window, fogging up the glass. She reached up with her arm and used the sleeve of her sweater to rub away the moisture.

The sound of a book falling to the floor above her shattered the comfortable silence that filled the air. Erin quickly spun on her heel, the sudden assault on her ears sending a rapid fire jolt through her body and raising her hair on end. If it weren't for the door being already unlocked she would have dismissed the sudden interruption to her morning silence. However, as she eased her way as quietly as she could towards the creaky wooden steps, she couldn't help but reach to her back pocket where she kept her small pocket knife. Her hand rested on the handle that was clipped to the fabric of her jeans, awaiting the moment she'd have to use it. She climbed the stairs carefully, attempting to calm the nerves in her body. The top of the landing seemed undisturbed, to Erin's relief. She searched the aisles quietly, her footsteps soft, until the toe of her shoe tapped against the culprit of the noise. She knelt down and took the book in her arms, scanning it for any damage. It was an old copy of _Anna Karenina_. Erin had thought back to when she had read it before years ago, thoroughly enjoying the tale. She searched for the space on the shelf from where it had fallen, clearly finding unoccupied space between to large textbooks. The row of books in the next aisle were able to be seen through the bookshelf where she stood. She peered through the space, staring at the air before her.

Loki's eyes met hers from the other side of the bookshelf, unbeknownst to the young woman. All he could see of her through the small space was her face; she was shorter than him by a good deal, he could tell as he hunched his back to peer through the space between the books that she was standing at her full height. Her eyes were a lighter honey colored brown, with the same richness of freshly tilled earth in the evening sun, all encased by thick black lashes. Her skin was light and dusted in freckles. She looked oddly still, like a doe sensing a sudden change in the air. Her eyes stared right at his and for a moment Loki wondered if she could see right through his illusion. Before either of them could act, a loud knocking came from the front door below. Erin, releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding, hurriedly placed the book back in its place on the shelf and rushed to the front of the store. Loki walked to the other side of the shelf, standing in the space that the girl had occupied nearly a moment ago. _What a terribly strange creature,_ he thought to himself as he watched her descend the stairs to greet an ugly old human at the door.

He followed behind her, wanting to watch her for a few moments longer. She helped the old thing into the store and quickly grabbed a bag of books to give to the her. "How pathetic," he hissed at the kindness that radiated from her.

"Sorry for coming in so early dear. You see my granddaughter is arriving in town today and I just want to make sure I get all my errands done as early as possible." The old woman smiled kindly at Erin, her hand firmly gripping her cane as she leant on it to talk to the young woman.

"It's not a problem, Mrs. Fillmore, I'm usually here pretty early most days anyway." She smiled at the woman and they continued to chat for a few more minutes until the older woman departed, leaving Erin once again alone in the store, or so she assumed.

Loki spent most of the day reading the books in the small store. They were all old and used, but he rather enjoyed knowing that such unintelligent creatures were capable of getting as much use out of them as they did. He had managed to finish reading three novels before he looked out the window and realized that the sun was beginning to set. He turned his attention to the young human woman sitting behind the pile of wood called a desk. From his position on the floor between the rows of shelves, Loki was able to watch her throughout the day. She was quiet and would take up her time cleaning the store or reading. It was void of life except for the pair of them, and he thought back to when a couple came in earlier in the day. She held a childlike excitement as she talked to them, it radiated off of her. However, once they turned to make their leave and said their goodbyes, her smile did not reach her eyes. Loki watched her now as she continued to read from her novel. He stood and walked over to her, looking at her sitting form slouched over the desk, her head resting heavily on her hand as she used the thumb of her other hand to keep the book open in her hand. Her hair was tied up in a bun that he assumed at some point must've been neat, because now her locks fell around her face and neck in copper red waves. In the sunlight, the tresses shone like liquid gold dripping down her neck. Her eyes suddenly looked to where Loki stood, her eyes assessing the space in front of her. Loki scoffed, "Like a pitiful animal such as you could sense my presence."

Erin held her gaze for a moment longer before breaking it. She rubbed at her eyes tiredly, "Geez, what's wrong with me today." She checked the clock above the door and noticed that it was time for her to go. She gathered her things and pulled her jacket on before making sure the store was properly locked up. Once she felt everything was in order, Erin made her way to the door, pausing a moment and looking about the cluttered store once more as if searching for something in plain sight. Loki stood there, watching with mild interest. She abruptly let herself out and locked the door behind her.

Loki watched the woman from the second story window, a scowl painted on his face. So useless, so... _simple._ She hurried off, Loki watched her until the lights and buildings and distant streets engulfed her. He turned away from the window and was faced with an empty store. A familiar feeling entered his chest and threatened to crawl its way into his throat. Swallowing heavily, he roamed the rows of books, plucking some off their shelves and returning to his chair by the window, beginning to read.

She continued on her way down the busy streets of Philadelphia, the cold January air opening her senses. Erin reflected how strange it felt in The Rabbit Hole that day. Like someone had been watching her. There were moments were she felt a presence, something intimidating yet intriguing. She shook it off and focused on the few blocks left that she had to walk. Reaching her front steps, she pulled a small key chain from her pocket. Opening her door, she stepped through the threshold and closed it behind herself, her back leaning against the wood. She shed her jacket and hung it on a peg on the wall adjacent to the door. Her apartment was dark, cold and once she was able to flip the switch up, she was forced to acknowledge how empty it was. Before the feeling of loneliness could take its chance to settle inside her, she grabbed her jacket and bag off the wall and was gone as fast as she had came.


	2. Chapter 2

Loki was staring out at the faint pink sky when he heard the familiar sound of a distant _click_ as Erin let herself in through the front door of the Rabbit Hole. He stood and arched his back, stretching his muscles from a full night of gazing out the window, craving the realm he referred to as home. He walked downstairs to see what the young woman would be doing today.

She was settling her things on the desk before pulling something from her bag. It was slender and fit in the palm of her hand and, as her thumb danced over the surface, it came to life with music. It was light and smooth to Loki's ears as he watched her body flow down the aisles of the store cleaning as she went. He scoffed at her actions, surprised at her simple ways. Although, as the music filled the air, he found himself mesmerized by her and the way her body moved. The look in her eyes was far away, definitely not in this realm. Loki pulled his eyes from her and went to sit on the chair by the desk, his long legs stretching up to rest on the scratched surface of the table next to the piles of books. As she continued to dance her way around the small store, Loki observed her belongings that she kept in her bag. Notebook, chapstick, compact mirror, lots of pens, nothing that seemed of value. Giving up his scavenging, he scanned the table before him to find the book that she was reading yesterday before an idea popped into his head. He immediately climbed the stairs leading to the second floor, a smile creeping onto his face. He found the book from the day before in no time at all, his index finger stroking the spine before pulling the book from the shelf. It hit the floor with the same loud resounding _thud_ as the previous day. In half a moment, Loki could hear distant footsteps on the stairs, the volume of the music lowered instantly. He saw the woman search for the where the noise had come from, only to see her stop abruptly in front of where the book was laying. She froze, her brows furrowing as she picked up the book and brought in back to its home on the shelf and making sure it was placed in a way to make it nearly impossible for it to fall. She waited a moment, her hand still on _Anna Karenina_ , and let her eyes wander the shelf looking for a loose screw or a slanted shelf that could explain why the same book from yesterday had fallen.

The sound of the bell above the door downstairs pushed Erin into action as she quickly made her way down the stairs to greet the arriving customers. He could hear her voice rise as she spoke with them, "Morning, welcome to The Rabbit Hole. My name is Erin, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask."

" _Erin."_ He turned her name over in his head, speaking it aloud and letting each syllable roll off his tongue delicately as if not speaking it with respect would ruin her very being. He peered out the second floor window, watching her welcome passers-by into the store. _We shall have a proper introduction very soon, my pet._

The next few days went along very similar to the first day that Loki encountered Erin. He would often start the day following her around, trying to put an end to his boredom by observing her and her actions. He often tried to frighten her, taking joy in her jumps of surprise and occasionally the soft sound that would escape her lips if he managed to scare her particularly well. She was surprisingly resilient, Loki realized. How, every day just like the first, he would push the same book off the shelf; and she, every day just as the first, would pick it up and stare at the space where it had been with a stubborn curiosity about her. Loki relished in the uneasiness that shook through her and some days he could see her skin raise at that fear that he evoked from her, but she would continuously hold her ground even as her body tried betraying her. Though he could see how unsettled she was, she would stare right at him, not even knowing that she was looking directly into the eyes of the god of mischief. Loki awaited this moment when her eyes looked right through his, it ebbed away at the isolation he felt… though he would never admit it. Even as the days crawled by, Loki still shielded himself from the rest of the world, refusing to reveal himself until he felt strong enough to use his power to its maximum potential. Just so, most days he felt weakened from the little tricks he would perform, even constantly shielding himself from the naked eye slowly draining what little energy he possessed.

A week had passed since Loki had first arrived on Midgard, and each day seemed to be as equally eventful as the day before, which wasn't very eventful at all. Starting as most days did with the two, Erin let herself inside The Rabbit Hole and began to tidy up what she could, focusing on the second floor that day. As usual, _Anna Karenina_ fell from the shelf. Accustomed to it by now, Erin merely fidgeted at the sound, to Loki's both amusement and slight disappointment. She walked over to the where the book had fallen, the sound of her brown boots echoing through all two stories of the bookstore. She bent to pick it up, turning it over to examine any additional scratches to the cover from the numerous times it had fallen. Once again, she looked through the now unoccupied space on the shelf, her eyes meeting the the empty space of the next row over. Loki stared back at her, watching her face contort into numerous emotions: confusion, curiosity, even the smallest flecks of fear presented itself in her brown orbs. What Loki didn't expect was for the young woman to stretch her arm through the shelf, her hand spread with her palm facing him.

For the past week, Erin couldn't deny a presence that she felt in the old building. She was not quick to believe in ghosts but found that there was not much else to really put her finger on... other than the fact that she was losing her mind. Over the time that she was experiencing this recurrence, she found herself becoming familiar with the same presence, consistently in the store hanging over her shoulder. Deciding to feel the empty space in front of her to just... _feel_ something different, something explicable, might help her find some sort of answer to the questions that shrouded her mind. Her fingertips grew closer to Loki's shielded form and she was able to feel a sudden coldness in the air. Normally she would blame such a thing on a draft in the building, but she knew Vince had had the building renovated this past year to prevent the cold from getting in so easily. Additionally, the heater was making the store so hot that she was still boiling in her skin after taking off her flannel shirt, leaving her in a thin white t-shirt. Her fingers stretched a bit farther past the cool air and she was once again met with a warmth, but it was different than the heat the enveloped her body. The warm air she felt surrounding her hand in waves was pulsing against her skin, sending vibrations down her fingers, through her arms, and throughout the rest of her body.

Her intake of breath did not go unnoticed by Loki, he himself a little shocked by this exchange. He could feel the warmth of her hand reaching for the space where his torso was located and for the briefest of moments, he could feel her her featherlight touch on him.

Erin pulled her hand back to her chest and slowly walked around the shelves to where her hand had been just mere moments before. She took one tentative step forward, and then another, until she could feel a cool wall of air before her. The feeling was surreal, she could only equate it to the chill of frozen glass - subtle yet apparent, contradictorily is it may seem.

Loki looked down at the girl, he saw wonder and fear in her eyes, but not at him. Fear of the unknown. His brows furrowed, _She'd have more fear if she knew whose presence she had been standing before._ He smirked and took a resolute step backward and with a swift jerk of his hand, sent _Anna Karenina_ falling once again to the floor between the two of them. Her back straightened and her hand flew to her mouth to stifle the yelp that escaped from her lips. Loki, with more than a little satisfaction, turned on his heel and retreated to the safety of his chair by the window. He sat down and let out a gust of air from his lungs, feeling the blood rush to his head. For most of the morning, Loki sat in the same spot, cursing Odin for all that he had done to him; Frigga, for her unyielding love; and this woman, for her curiosity and the place on his chest where her fingers had been.

The remainder of the day seemed to crawl for Erin and Loki, both lost in the recesses of their minds. They both settled in their respective places of the store with their noses buried in their books and their minds absent. In the late afternoon, an older man with long white hair tied at the nape of his neck let himself through the door. His glasses were huge and obviously outdated, but Erin once recalled him telling someone that they were a gift from his late wife. The gentleman turned towards Erin, who remained oblivious to his presence, "Well, this was the welcome I had hoped to come home to. Hugs and general excitement are definitely overrated."

Erin finally focused on the man. "Vince! You're back... has it already been three weeks?" She rose from her seat and hugged him tightly, "It's great to have you back. How was Poland?"

"It was very lovely, as beautiful as I always remember it. I visited Katerina's grave for a few days while I was out there." He smiled warmly at the sound of his wife's name leaving his lips and Erin couldn't help but feel an affection for the older man, like a father.

Loki entered, overhearing the commotion and investigating the source. He saw Erin speaking with a much older man. She, as per usual, was chatting away in her animated way of speaking. He watched closely as the man cupped her shoulder and handed her a small envelope. "Here, take this for watching the store while I was away. Think of it as a bonus for all you do here." She blushed and tried to refuse but her attempts seemed rather half hearted in the god's opinion. After taking it, she retrieved her belongings, first tugging on her olive jacket and looping her scarf, the color of autumn leaves, around her neck. "Well, I think I'll be on my way. Welcome home, Vince."

"Thank you, dear. Why don't you take the next few days off? It's not like we'll get much business anyway... I believe I may just sell the place and move back to Poland." Vincent stopped to look around the store, reflecting on his life spent in the simple two-story building. "My wife and I starting selling our books first you know. She taught quantum mechanics at the local college while I read literature. We both had a penchant for poetry though...you can image the variety that we had!" He sighed, "This was such a bustling place for those who hungered for knowledge and enlightenment… Now, we collect dust." He tapped his shoe against a nearby stack of textbooks, the dust filling the air around them and sending Vincent into a fit of coughs.

Erin patted his back, "She sounds like a great woman; I wish I could've met her myself. Just know that anything you need, Vincent, you can ring me. Whatever you choose to do with The Rabbit Hole, I'm sure it'll be for the best."

"Thank you, dear. Katerina would have loved you. You're like the daughter I've never had." They exchanged warm smiles and she hugged him once more.

"Well I should get going. Do you mind if I borrow a book to take with me?" At his nod, Erin retreated to the closet to pull out a six foot ladder. She proceeded down the furthest aisle to the shelves that ran along the back wall. Leaning it against the shelves, Erin started climbing the steps of the ladder, nearly to the top when she reached for the highest shelf. "Now, where are you," she clicked her tongue, her eyebrows furrowed. "Hmm...ah! There you are," she reached forward and pulled a relatively thick book from the shelf, it's title reading _Look to the North, a History of Vikings._ "I found this the other day under a huge stack of medical anomalies, thought I'd give it a shot," she called to Vincent, who grumbled as he absent mindedly inspected the mail he received in the time of his absence.

"Don't bother returning it dear, we could use the room… This goddamn government is trying to run me into the ground! Those sons of guns are lucky I'm not the chiseled soldier that I used to be…" he shuffled around, muttering insults and punching the air.

Erin chuckled and shook her head to herself, appreciating the man's...zest, for lack of a better word. She started the descent down the ladder steps when she felt her foot slip from its spot and caused her to fall backwards, her grip totally lost of the ladder. As she was awaiting her collision with the wooden floor, it never came. Her fall was cushioned by...something. She looked down at her feet, mere inches from the ground. Before she could fully comprehend what was occuring, she felt herself released from the air and her feet unceremoniously hit the ground. Shaking, she glanced around quickly, scanning for something, anything, that could explain the events that had just taken place. On edge, she scurried to the door before stopping suddenly and running up the steps to take _Anna Karenina_ off the shelf and tucking it under her arm. Spinning on her heel, Erin took off, practically flying out the door.

Loki watched the girl with amusement as she retreated from him and rushed from the store. _Well, this certainly is going to be fun._

Erin was still shaken up from her "fall." Her heart was pulsing so fiercely that she could feel it in her ears threatening to deafen her. As frightful as it was that she fell from nearly six feet only to be stopped mid air and placed gently on the ground, that wasn't where the shock resonated with her. No, it was the warmth that encased her, vibrating through her body. The smell of pine and lavender that filled her lungs with each intake of breath. The quiet chill that brushed her cheeks in waves. She shook her head and allowed her footsteps to quicken, _Where is my mind?_ She thought to herself, looking to the sky in hope of finding an answer.

Loki decided it was time to see what the girl was made of. He followed her closely as her pace seemed to quicken. He could faintly here her muttering to herself, no doubt convincing herself of her own sanity. His smile widened at the thought. _Let's see where my little pet goes at night._ She turned sharply on her heel down a less occupied road and Loki merely lengthened his stride by an inch to fall in step beside her, examining Erin from the corner of his eye. She didn't appear to be frightened, but her mind was definitely on another plane as she walked the streets of the city. He could understand why, as he was a little perturbed by his sudden urge to rescue the girl from harm. In the end he was surely glad that he had, because the most curious thing had happened. She had felt _him,_ only she didn't know it yet. She was keenly aware of his presence, but unable to identify it. He was quite curious to see how far he could take it. But first, he decided to had a little fun with her.

Looking down at the laces of her shoes, he was able to use his magic to give them a firm tug, causing her to trip and nearly fall. She was able to catch herself in time as her left foot was able to steady her body, and he chuckled as he watched her arms spread as if a bird taking flight. He was surprised to see that when she turned to look for the culprit of her sudden hinderance that she was also laughing to herself. Unable to find anything, she turned and continued on her way down the empty street. Loki, only slightly irked, decided to try a different approach. Changing his form into that of an emerald snake, he quickly slithered into her path stopping her in her tracks. She knelt before him and examined him closely. "Well, aren't you just a cutie," she said to him, surveying his scales. He hissed at her, clearly irritated by her aloof manner. She only stood up and continued on her way, "Good luck, little guy," she called back to him as she jogged ahead to a door reading _Anything Goes_ in red neon lights in the window. He reverted back to his invisible self, winded by the power he used, and cautiously followed after her.

Once inside, Loki was surprised by the lack of lighting and his ears were assaulted by the sounds of awful loud music and slurred voices. Older patrons sat along the counter of the bar while younger ones stood in groups, making it difficult for Loki to spot the Erin in the crowd until he managed to catch sight of copper strands as ran her fingers through her hair, finally freeing it from the knot she had it up in that day. He came to stand behind her as she pulled a seat out for herself at the bar, sitting alone. A man behind the bar walked up to her, his blonde hair pulled into a bun that allowed for more attention focus on his deep blue eyes. His tight shirt, defining the contours of his body, stretched as he leaned forward on the counter to get closer to Erin. Loki was reminded of his brother as the bartender smiled charmingly at her, "Hey Erin, same thing?" "Jameson, neat please for today Gabe" was her reply. He nodded and turned his back to her to pour her drink while she pulled money from her pocket and placed it on the counter for him to see. Taking her drink, she kept it placed between her palms, rolling the glass in between her hands. Loki continued to watch her, sensing the familiar aura that settled around her as she stared a hole through the bottom of the glass she was holding.

"Hey, is this seat taken?" Both of their attention was brought to a young woman, tanned skin and dark hair pulled into a ponytail that cascaded down her neck.

"Oh no, have at it." Erin scooted her chair to give the other woman more space.

"Thanks," the woman said, turning to hang her bag over her chair.

"Anytime. It's relieving to know that I'm not the only one that sits at the bar this early during the week," Erin joked, gesturing to the other people in the small bar.

"Thursday is close enough to the weekend," the other agreed. "Especially when your husband is screwing the neighbor back at home."

Erin's eyes widened, "Shit. Why aren't you over there with a hammer and glue gun?"

"Waiting for the opportune moment. Anna," she introduced herself, lending her hand.

"Erin," she took her hand, feeling Anna's acrylic nails against her skin. "So, how long has your husband been having an affair?"

"Three months. The marriage was pretty much over when he started sleeping around, but that is still no excuse." The bartender came back to the women, eyeing up Anna. "I'll have what she's having," Anna gestured to Erin. "What about you? Husband, kids, picket fence?"

"No, not for me."

"Not even a man?" Anna asked, shocked. "You're smoking hot. I'd fuck you myself if you got enough of these in me," she gestured to the drink in her manicured hand, in which Gabe raised a suggestive eyebrow. "Tend to your other patrons, horndog." Gabe walked off, his neck bright pink.

Erin laughed at her blunt behavior. "Thanks, but no. I haven't met anyone worth keeping around, and after awhile it just becomes useless looking."

At that moment, Loki watched as a man came over to the women, his strut looking more like a problem he was trying to handle without the use of his hands. He leaned on the counter to Erin's left, eyeing her up like a dog staring at a bone. "Hey, you seem a little lonely tonight." He leaned in close to her, the smell of alcohol intruding on her personal space. "I could fix that for you."

Loki rolled his eyes at the man and awaited her reaction.

Erin, surprised at the sudden intrusion on her privacy, leaned into the man, momentarily confusing Loki. Both men drew closer in as she whispered to the guy at the bar, "I could definitely use some company tonight. However," Loki was so close he could feel her hot breath on the man whom she was speaking to, the smell of liquor and jasmine filling his nostrils, "I'm already taken for the night." She finished, leaning back into Anna's shoulder and giggling with her as Anna's hand encircled her waist.

"Yeah, whatever bitch, you sure are missing out," he slurred, tilting his drink back to his lips. Loki took the opportunity to push the glass, it missing the man's mouth and spilling onto his pants. He jumped back immediately and hurried off, clearly embarrassed by his blunder. Erin and Anna turned to each other cackling in laughter while Loki watched the scene play out, smiling in triumph.

Erin had entered her apartment just a little after one in the morning, stumbling through the door and giggling to herself. Loki followed in behind her, amused by her obviously intoxicated but pleasant demeanor. She had spent the past four hours talking with the other woman at the bar, sharing stories and jokes of old lovers and fond memories. Loki found that Erin was quite insightful for a Midgardian of her age, yet as she shared her more rebellious stories he felt a sense of pride at the way her eyes lit up when retelling her adrenaline filled tales. He surveyed her home, finding it oddly barren. A couch lined the far wall of the living room to his right, facing the windows. A small table was placed in front of it, containing large canvas paper that spilled onto the floor. Erin, in her clearly drunken state, took her jacket and bag and dropped them on the living room floor, running her fingers through her hair as she walked into the kitchen. She reached into her cupboards and pulled out a glass to fill it with water. Loki seated himself in one of the two chairs at her kitchen table and watched her move around the room, her movements surprisingly fluid for one so intoxicated. She turned and leaned against the counter, sipping from her glass and allowing the silence to settle in the air. She looked tragically beautiful, Loki realized, finally admitting it to himself. The way her eyes held so much expression no matter how distant they were. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were a bright pink from the crisp winter air that hit her face as she walked the three blocks from the bar to her home. Her lips were the shade of a dusty rose and were swollen often from her catching her lips between teeth and biting them absentmindedly. Her hair was frizzy from the dampness in the air and it lay about her in warm golden hues, tickling her freckled skin as it fell. Loki felt himself mesmerized by the creature. She finished her glass and entered a third room that contained a bed, a dresser, and a bookshelf. Removing her shoes and pants she climbed into bed, tucking the covers around herself. Moments later, Loki could hear her breathing, slow and deep. He watched her for some time, trying to figure her out. He settled with seating himself at the foot of her bed,gazing out at the moon as its light flooded the room, bathing them in its silver light.


	3. Chapter 3

A huge thank you to everyone who has enjoyed my story so far! There's so many directions I can take it in but I do have a destination for Loki and Erin. While I've tried to get a chapter out every day or so, I want this story to actually become enjoyable for it's readers, so I may work on it a bit the next week and by Friday I'll try to have a good amount for you. Please, if you have any comments, reviews, ANYTHING, leave them for me. I value what you all think of Show Me Love. Now, without further ado, please enjoy Chapter 3. :)

Erin was pulled from her slumber as the sunlight broke through her window. She shifted in bed for a few moments longer but it was useless. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and felt the ever present hangover. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

As if to torture her further, her cell phone went off. Groaning, she lifted herself from her bed and went on a search for the source of the noise. She entered the living only to trip over her bag, where she was able to find her cell phone. She picked it up to see that she did not recognize the number. "Hello?"

"Hey chica, how's your morning going?"

"Ungh, Anna? How did you get my number?"

Her laughter rang through the phone, the sudden loud noise irritating Erin. "We exchanged numbers last night. I thought this was before you had that fifth shot."

"Apparently not."

"Yeah well I thought you could use a little wake up call. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to go out and grab lunch? Hubby's spending the weekend with Susie Homemaker next door in upstate New York. He, of course, told me that he had a business conference."

Erin shuffled around her kitchen, finding the kettle and heating up some water. "Er, I don't know about today, could we rain check?"

"Any time chick, talk later."

"Yeah, thanks. Bye." She hung up.

Erin poured herself a cup of tea and started to prepare herself for the day. She found a dark pair of jeans and a winter green sweater that hung off her shoulder. She snatched her scarf from yesterday and looped it around her neck and pulled her boots on before returning to the living room to check the mail from yesterday that she neglected. Flipping through bills, political campaigns, and take out menus she found a small white envelope with intricate writing addressed to her on the front. Opening it, she pulled out a simple blue card with a toddler's face on the front. Below his name in the same writing as on the front of the envelope read:

 _Come celebrate Wyatt's very first birthday!_

 _The celebration will be held at our home in New York_

 _On February 24th at 2 pm_

 _We look forward to spending this very special day with you._

 _RSVP before the 8th_

The paper bent and crinkled under Erin's ever firming grip as she tossed the card onto the coffee table. Wiping her eyes she grabbed her keys, wallet, a pair of sunglasses, and made for the door. She closed it behind her a little harder than intended and began her walk through the streets. The shops where she picked up her groceries were nearly a twenty-five minute walk from her home, but she didn't mind. Erin was vastly independent, and living in such a small city, everything was pretty much within walking distance for her so she saw no reason to drive herself anywhere. Driving also meant risking losing your on street parking, and Erin was not going to let that happen.

The sun was almost at its highest point in the day, its rays burning a hole in the back of Erin's head as she kept her face shielded from the light. "That's the last time I drink that much on a weekday, I don't even care if Iron Man is in town," she muttered to herself, feeling the full effects of her migraine kicking in.

She finally felt the cold burst of air as she opened the door to the Memphis May market, a little hole in the wall store that contained all your basic amenities. That was one thing that Erin loved about the neighborhood that she lived in: it was small and close knit. Maybe other more established people would call it a ghetto, but Erin called it home. Everyone looked out for each other like family because this was all they had.

Erin started her stroll down each aisle and plucked some things off the shelves that she knew she'd be needing for the week.

"Hey Erin, surprised to see you out and about after last night."

Erin turned and was face to face with Gabe. "Oh yeah, I'm pretty surprised myself. It sure was rough last night." She scratched the back of her head, clearly embarrassed that she had let herself get out of hand. "You working tonight?"

"Yeah, Jen quit the other day..."

"Oh shit, really? Damn, she was a bitch anyway."

Gabe laughed, "You really tell it like it is, don't you?" He shifted the basket to his other arm, Erin cleary able to see his muscles rippling through the black hoodie he wore.

"Yeah, no filter. Sometimes it gets me into more trouble than I'm prepared to deal with."

"You don't say," the corner of Gabe's mouth lifted into a smile.

 _He sure has perfected that look. Ten out of ten on the smoulder scale that's for sure,_ Erin thought to herself.

"So, yeah, Jen's out and we're just looking for someone to hire part time. I don't mind the work, pays great and I know the people from the neighborhood, but I'm gonna need a break soon."

"Yeah, I hear ya...Well, good luck to you. Maybe I'll stop in tonight for a night cap," she sensed that it was the end of their conversation and decided it was time to make her move.

"I look forward to seeing you if you do. Oh, and Erin," he stepped forward, his breath tickling her cheek as he whispered in her ear, "I hope to hear more come from that mouth soon." With that he continued on his way down the aisle, leaving her frozen in the produce section.

 _Uh, what?_ Erin made a face and mouthed his line, "' _I hope to hear more come from that mouth soon.' Give me a break!"_ She continued on, quickly forgetting about Gabe the Bartender and focusing more on what she would be eating that night when she got home.

She reached the front door to her apartment in near record time for the amount of groceries she was juggling in her arms. Her front door opened with ease as she walked in and closed it behind her, making her way to the kitchen to set down all the bags. She turned on her stereo to empty the silence from her apartment.

Erin loved her home, she really did. Living on her own only solidified the fact that she was more than capable of taking care of herself without having to rely on anyone. Erin hated feeling like she had to owe something to someone; that had grown from how her parents had treated her, making her feel as though raising her as their daughter was a job that they should have been compensated for. Because of that upbringing, Erin sought out somewhere to call her own that she could afford to live in without those worries. However, she couldn't always fight the loneliness that lurked behind her, resting it's cold grey fingers on the nape of her neck. She tried to fill her time as much as she could with hobbies or people she considered friends, but those same cold grey fingers always found their way to her at night as she stared at the four walls of her room, which would eventually lead her to a stool at the neighborhood bar.

Her phone vibrated in her back pocket and she pulled it out to find two messages, one number she recognized as Anna's.

 _We're going out tomorrow night! Don't try to get out of it because this girl has got to party! I'll meet you at your place, just send me your address. See you tomorrow chica! 3_

Erin sent her reply, optimistic about going out with her new friend.

 _1419 Tulip Street. 3 blocks from Anything Goes, see you tomorrow night! :)_

She viewed her next message:

 _ **Mom**_

 _Hi. How are you? Too busy to call your own mother I guess.. Would it really hurt you to just send a single text?_

Erin closed her phone, refusing to reply to the message. She knew what her mom was doing when she texted her messages like that.

She decided not to let the text affect her any more than it already did and continued about her day, pulling out pots and pans and starting to cook herself an early dinner. She stopped in her bedroom to changed into a more comfortable sweatshirt when she noticed her books that were on her bookshelf were laying haphazardly on the floor, making a semicircle. She had to admit that she was a little unnerved by what she saw, but settled with picking them up and placing them back on their shelves. Her hand froze over the last book on the floor, reading the familiar title as clear as day: _Anna Karenina._ Her face contorted into one of confusion, recalling that she never took the book out of her bag, which was still laying against the couch in the living room. Her breathing nearly stopped as she picked up the book and held it to her chest, slender fingers caressing the pages and and sending the faint smell of pine into the air around her with faint hints of lavender, the same familiar scent that surrounded her when she fell from the ladder the day before. Erin couldn't say that she was afraid, but she sure couldn't say she was exactly comfortable with all of the events that had occured in the past week or so. She didn't have any answers for what was happening to her, but instead of fearing the unknown she had decided to simply try to understand it. She took the book and placed it on the nightstand beside her bed before continuing back into the kitchen to finish cooking.

Loki watched Erin, labeling the emotion he held for her as pity. Throughout the day while she was out, he investigated her small cramped home. The living room was hardly bigger than her bedroom and the bathroom across from her bedroom could barely fit two people containing a stand in shower, toilet, and sink with minimal counter space that held hair products and makeup. He browsed her books, taking _Anna Karenina_ from her bag and leaving it among the rest, in hopes to gain some sort of reaction from her which he was pleased to see did. When she finally returned home he was almost relieved for her presence, for the walls of her home were soon reminding him of the prisoner holding cells in Asgard, where he would have stayed if it wasn't for Frigga. Watching her, this place seemed like her prison. She used as much of her energy as she could to fill it, but maybe the constant emptiness took a toll on her. He sat at the table, laughing at her poor singing and dancing as she bounced around the small kitchen, swaying her hips ridiculously as she cooked. Once she was finished, she sat at the chair across from his with her food, the smell filling his senses and making his stomach cry out for it. He was unaccustomed to the overwhelming feeling of hunger that he was experiencing, his body needing sustenance for the magic that was draining his body. He could feel himself losing weight from the lack of food he should have been eating while he was on Earth. His energy was slowly diminishing and he found himself acutely aware that he needed to do something to fix it soon.

That night, as Erin lay sleeping in her bed, Loki watched over her for a few moments. He brushed a lock of red hair from her face, it spilling around her like a pool of blood. Her skin appeared creamy in the moonlight, glowing as softly as the stars in the night sky.

"I could end your life at this very moment. I wouldn't even need to use my hands," he whispered to her, his fingers fluttering over her slender neck, dancing along her collarbones.

"Loki, my dearest."

Jaw clenching, he turned to face his mother. She stood before him in all of her beauty, her golden hair outshining the moonlight that illuminated their faces. "Mother."

"I hope you are faring well, my son."

"Is this what you wanted mother? To make me as weak as Thor had been upon returning from this pitiful realm?"

"Thor returned to us stronger than he has ever been. He learned much while he was here among these people."

"The only thing he learned was how short and insignificant these lives are, of course it makes him stronger - to be among things that we are so superior to."

"Are we though?" Frigga watched her son stand in front of the girl sleeping silently in her bed, his stance tall and protective. "You seemed to have grown fond of this Midgardian woman, as Thor has grown fond of his."

Loki stood silent, willing his guard to not even waver before his mother. "She is a pet, a toy to keep me entertained while I carry out this sentence on this waste of a realm."

"Because you are a frost giant, doesn't mean you have to be so cold, my son." She stepped toward him and caressed his hair. "I love you, Loki, no matter whose son you are."

Loki, unable to meet his mother's eyes, looked to his boots. His brows furrowed as he bit his lips to keep them from quivering. "I love you, Mother." He chanced a look at her, only to find himself once again alone in an empty room, Erin's deep rhythmic breathing the only sound ringing in his ears.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the delay, life happens. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as I have enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you think. - SinfulSolace

"Hey Anna, where did you want to go out to tonight? I know of a few places in the city, but wasn't sure if you didn't already have a place in mind."

" _Hey girl, there's this amazing place in town called Devil's Dance Floor, I don't know if you've heard of it. It's supposed to be like the best place to go for dancing, and there are plenty of sexy men more than willing to have a good time with us_." Erin could practically hear her winking through the phone.

"Jesus, you are horny." Erin told her, smiling as she heard her friends laughter on the other end of the line.

" _Oh, come on and you aren't? I mean, I'm a woman_ and _three quarters latino, my dear. We care about nothing but our sexuality. What about you aren't you like, a fucking leprechaun anyway? Those Irish bastards did nothing but hump and eat fucking potatoes!_ "

"Ha ha ha, very funny. I'll see you tonight, we can meet at my place."

" _Sounds good, don't forget to wear something slutty. Also, why don't you leave your standards at home tonight, Erin."_

"I'll think about it," she rolled her eyes, "See you later."

Hours later, Erin found herself staring into her black hole of a closet, debating if perhaps she did have an outfit that came close to even whispering _slut._ She rolled her shoulders in small circular motions, working the muscles that were quickly tensing over such a trivial dilema. Hearing a knock at her door, Erin finally reached for an outfit that seemed like her best chance at standing out as well as being comfortable and tossed it on her bed before rushing to answer the door.

"Your face sure does look sexy but I think you might want to reconsider the pj's," Anna joked, looking down at the other girl's snowflake covered pyjamas. "I thought you'd be ready by now."

Erin wrapped a single arm around Anna to bring her into a half hug, smiling at her humor. "I thought it would perfectly balance out your outfit. Sure looks better than the other dresses I've seen on women working the corner," she quipped.

Anna laughed wholeheartedly as she was led into Erin's bedroom, stepping over piles of clothes thrown about. "Jesus, did you call the police? It looks like you've been burglarized." She picked up a bra that was hanging on the floor and flung it to Erin, the lace fabric hitting her face lightly.

"Sorry for the mess. It's been awhile since I've really been out like this. Most of my outfits I'd gotten rid of or shoved to the back of my closet."

"No worries, just finish getting ready. We have to stop by Anything Goes before we hit the DDF - there's someone there who I have to meet."

"Sure no problem. Give me ten minutes." Erin made her way into the bathroom with her clothes, crossing her fingers in hopes that she still looked as good as she used to in the outfit.

Loki observed the women from the top of Erin's bed, curious of what plans they had in store that night. Once Erin retreated to the bathroom, he surveyed the other woman, Anna, as if she were a bird being watched by a house cat. She stole glances around the room examining Erin's bookshelf, the muscles in her bare legs taut as she leaned forward in her heels. If observed from the right angle, Loki could see her sheer undergarments peeking through underneath her dress. _If it could be called a dress,_ he thought to himself, clear disdain painted on his face. His pet did not have to vy for attention in such a way. She held the attention of every man in the room and she didn't even know it; she held so much control in her very being yet was unaware of the power she had. He felt himself charmed by her oblivious nature, surprised that a creature such as she has remained safe from the harmful ways of men for so long.

Th sound of the bathroom door opening caught both of their attention as Erin came into the room, the sound of her heeled boots hitting the floor in a slow and steady rhythm. Her arms were raised above her head as she pulled her hair into a simple knot, the tresses by her forehead free and framing her face.

"Damn, I'd take you home in that any day of the week," Anna took her hand and spun her around, her eyes taking in the entirety of her simple dress. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let me grab my keys," she walked out to her kitchen and reached across the table to retrieve her keychain containing her house keys, leaning forward on the table and stretching her hand across the surface. Before she could reach any further, the keys slid the last few inches to meet her.

Loki's hand was caged over the keys, anticipating her frightened reaction. He found himself surprised though when she froze and, instead of leaping away from them as he had expected, she instead inhaled and filled her lungs deeply with the air around her. She closed her eyes for a moment before taking the keys from the table and meeting her friend at the front door.

"Let's go." Their giggles could be heard as they closed the door behind them and made their way into the streets of Philadelphia.

Loki stood in the empty apartment, contemplating his next move. With a sudden resolve, he walked through the front door and followed the young women from a distance, a few more tricks up his sleeve for his pet.

Erin and Anna had stepped foot into the crowded bar fifteen minutes later, taking in the crowd of people. "Wow, it really does fill up in here," Anna shouted over the music.

"Yeah it gets like this, mostly because of the large female crowd Gabe brings in when he bartends." She glanced over to where said bartender was, smirking as he tried to take drink orders while loud gabbing women surrounded him in an attempt to leave an impression on him that would last longer than an exchange of drink and cash. "He does a good job though, bringing in all the women which ultimately brings in all the men. I have to hand it to him."

"You sure you don't have a hard on for him? He hasn't been shy about staring at you from a distance," Anna nudged her suggestively, "Maybe he should come by after his shift to have a little fun of his own."

"Nice try, but no. He's good looking and all but I just know that we don't have much in common other than this place."

"Who says you need to have stuff in common in order to just fool around? I'm sure he's an _animal_ in the sack - just look at those arms! He could hold you in any position anywhere in your goddamn house!"

"Would you quit it," Erin's eyes widened as Gabe looked over at the two of them that very moment and smiled, his eyes roaming over her body. She blushed in embarrassment, fearing that he had super hearing and could tell what they were talking about. She swallowed and returned the wave he sent her way, throwing him a genuine smile as well. "So, why are we here again? You said something about-" Erin looked next her to discover Anna had disappeared and was bouncing over to Gabe, her breasts barely contained by the dress she wore. She leaned over to whisper into Gabe's ear and giggled like a school girl, catching the attention of the men surrounding her. Erin rolled her eyes and kept her feet planted, sensing that she wouldn't feel very comfortable joining the conversation taking place between the two of them. She surveyed the small bar, taking in the couples wrapped in intimate conversations, their bodies swaying to the music while their liquored breath hung heavily in each other's face; the groups of girls giggling and gabbing away loudly with each other, pretending to be unaware of the groups of men watching them intently. It all made her feel a little out of place, standing in the bar by herself without a man to seduce or a large group of girlfriends that would compliment her on her appearance and joke with about the creepy men lurking around them when in reality all they wanted was the constant attention of a man no matter how unorthodox they may be.

As a few women passed by, no doubt to make their way to the bathroom, Erin took a step back to give them some space to walk by but collided with someone behind her, nearly falling on her rear as her feet tripped over each other. Her fall to the floor was stopped short as a hand reached out to grasp her around the small of her waist, the palm sturdy against her back as its fingers secured themselves around the curve of her body. Her heart rattled in her rib cage momentarily as she tried to get a grasp on the situation. "Thank you for that," she said quietly, her breathe still short from the sudden rush of adrenaline.

"Of course, it seemed you would have had a rather unfriendly encounter with the floor if I hadn't caught you," the mischievous tone in the man's voice brought Erin's eyes to meet his, clearly able to spot the smirk on his face that he made no attempt to hide.

Erin stared at his face a few moments longer than was appropriate, searching for something to place why he seemed so familiar to her. As he helped her steady herself, more patrons shuffled around them, the tight space causing her to push into the man, her hands pressing against his chest lightly as to not be disrespectful or disrupt the unwrinkled black buttoned shirt he wore.

He watched her, clearly amused by her discomfort. "You should let your hair down, it suits you more," he swiftly reached to the nape of her neck, the slight contact with her skin raising her flesh to his delight. He could feel her body still like a startled doe as his fingers easily tugged the band from her hair and sent her locks spilling down her shoulders like in loose waves, shining like rubies in the dimly lit bar..

Before she could react he pushed past her, his all black figure easily disappearing into the shadows. Erin reached up to the back of her head where his slender fingers had been mere moments ago, shocked by the bold move this stranger had made. As her fingers slid around to rest on her chest, she could feel a slight dampness to her skin where his breath had hit her. Her face turned bright as she thought of how devilishly handsome he was, the sharp angles and contours of his face only contributing to the overall impish appearance he exuded.

"Hey, ready to head out?" Anna reached Erin, two shots in her hand. "Here, I figured we could start off the night with this. Jesus, what has you so shook? You look like you just saw a serial flasher."

"Just this guy I bumped into, he looked so familiar," she took the shot from her girlfriend's hand, still trying to place how she could have felt she had known him from somewhere. "It's nothing. Cheers!"

They clinked glasses and emptied the burning liquid into their mouths, a toast to the first of many they would have that night.

The line to get into the Devil's Dance Floor was aggravatingly long as the two women waited in the cold January air. Erin's stocking covered legs stood stiff in attempt to block the wind that assaulted her body. "Remind me again why we're not wearing coats?" she turned to her friend, trying to fight against her chattering teeth.

"Because we'll be too drunk to remember get them from the coat check once we leave."

"Right," the word came out slow in acknowledgment.

They took a step forward, a small feat compared to reaching the doors to the club.

"So when does hubby come back from his 'conference?'"

"Hmm, Monday. He called me yesterday, said he had to drive through Brooklyn to pick up a coworker." Anna's tone grew hard at the mention of her husband. "He refuses to admit to the infidelity because he likes the perks of being married to an marine."

"You're a marine?" Erin's eyes widened at the new information on her friend, "you never said anything.

Anna shrugged, "I was a captain. Years ago, I took on a mission overseas and retired shortly after. I decided that maybe that part of my life was over and it was time to start a new chapter, one that contained settling down and starting a family. So I married Josh and we had a son when we lived in New York, but he passed away." Her voice grew quiet and Erin found herself moving closer to her friend to hear her. "I tried to work through his death and stay strong, even moving away from the city to start fresh, but Josh was staying out all hours of the night, sleeping with other women… We both more or less stay together out of guilt of losing Lucas."

Erin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Anna sniffed and ran a hand through her hair, trying to rid herself of the horrors of her past. She turned to the redhead and smiled, "It's all in the past though, let's just focused on getting shit faced tonight, deal?"

Erin smiled at Anna, respecting the strength that lived in the woman after dealing with such a tragedy.

They finally made it through the front doors of Devil's Dance Floor after being frisked by security. Immediately Anna dragged Erin to the bar along the far wall, ordering four shots of tequila. They took each shot with as much vigor as the first.

Anna reached for Erin's hand and pulled the young woman close to her to shout in her ear, "Come to the bathroom with me." Not even waiting for her friend to answer her, Anna continued to pull her along into a secluded corner of the club where they went into a relatively small bathroom compared to the overall size of the nightclub. Anna pulled Erin into a stall and pulled a small baggie from in between her breasts, showing it to her friend.

"Is that coke?"

Anna giggled, "Yeah, I thought it would be a nice party favor for our girl's night out." She sat on the toilet and produced a crisp dollar bill also from betwixt her breast and, after pouring the small amount of the drug onto her lap, started making haphazard lines of the powder on the flesh of her upper thigh.

"Anna," Erin whispered, "where did you get the coke from?" She gasped, "Did Gabe give it to you?"

"No, of course not," Anna laughed, "This guy at the bar, his name doesn't matter. I used to deal with him regularly until he landed in jail for some reason or another…. Now do a damn line before I blow it in your nose myself." She handed the now rolled dollar bill to Erin who grasped it hesitantly.

Erin looked down at the two short lines of coke on Anna's exposed thigh, her skin appearing shades darker against the stark white of the drug. "Fuck it," she stated simply, lowering herself to her knees and, using her hand to steady herself against Anna's thigh, placed the tip of the rolled bill at the start of one of the lines. Inhaling deeply, she ran her makeshift straw over her friend's leg, her nose sucking in the entirety of her line. Erin threw her head back, feeling the distinctly familiar drip in the back of her throat. Standing up, she handed the bill back to Anna, wiping her nose of any leftover traces of the powder.

Anna hunched forward and took a deep breathe through her nose and tossed her head back as well, locking eyes with her girlfriend and sending her a blissful smile. "Ready for the real fun to begin?"

The corners of Erin's mouth tugged upward, sending both women into a fit of laughter before exiting the bathroom stall and making their way out onto the dance floor.

Anna took Erin's hand in hers and held it high above her head as she led the other woman out to the center of the dimly lit dance floor through the throng of other dancers. Spinning around to face her friend, she grabbed Erin's hips and pulled her close, her deep voice taking on a tone of seduction, "Let's put on a show."

Erin nodded in and began swaying her body, her movements in sync with Anna's wide set hips as they rocked back and forth seductively. The sporadic lights in the club made it difficult to see clearly, leaving the sense of sound and touch much more prominent: hands falling to toned legs and ghosting over soft skin; hair damp with sweat sticking to anything in its path as it bounced recklessly on shoulders and reflecting off flashing lights; hushed lips breathing heavy from the intensity of _everything_ \- the music, the bodies, the inappropriate absurdity that came with the territory of dancing errotically in a nightclub with your friend. It all felt so taboo, so unwarranted, but the pure ecstacy of submitting to it all felt undoubtedly euphoric.

Erin could feel multiple eyes on her and her dance partner, roaming over their bodies like wolves as Anna ran her fingers through her hair, her dark curls bouncing with every twist and turn of her body. The redhead held her head high as her body swayed in rhythm to her partner's fluid movements. Slowly she turned, pressing her back into Anna and letting her hands reach behind her to press their hips closer together, enjoying the rush of excitement from the drugs she had taken earlier. Anna's grip on her waist was the only constant steadying Erin to this Earth as the flashing lights and and bass of the music shook through her core. She angled her head to her friend and shot her a mischievous smile, throwing her arms in the air and letting the intensity of the cocaine, the music, and the feel of the surrounding bodies overtake her.

Erin allowed herself to become so lost in the music that she didn't even notice her friend's hands leave her hips, or the masculine grip that was soon replaced by Anna's softer one. These calloused hands ravaged her body, grabbing her in ways she would have deemed unsuitable, but Anna held another ounce of clear liquid to her lips, and Erin was happy to oblige her friend, easily swallowing her morals with the burning alcohol. The drink slid down her throat like water and she looked up to the bright lights pulsing from the ceiling, feeling as if she could see through it to the moon and stars. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back onto her partner's shoulder, feeling his breath on her neck and a persistent bulge pressing against her lower back. She raised her hand and snaked her arm around the man's neck, feeling short curls circle her small fingers, and slowly opened her eyes to glance around the sea of bodies dancing in tune with the blaring music filling their ears.

Anna was a few feet away grinding on a man, his dark velvety skin slick with sweat that glistened in the lights. She glanced over at Erin and winked seductively before turning back to her new dance partner and spinning to press her ass into his groin.

The man pressing his body to Erin's back was gripping her thigh, sliding its way dangerously close to the inside of her thigh. His fingers tried to slip under her dress and scale the rest of the way up her covered legs, but a zap of what seemed to be static electricity brought his hand back to rest on her hip. Erin breathed out a sigh of relief, grateful she wouldn't have to be put in an uncomfortable situation, and her eyes fell on a tall figure leaning against the farthest wall by the exit. His tall frame was shrouded in black and mostly obscured by the throng of people dancing, but although he appeared to be leaning casually against the back wall, his frame was noticeably tense, skin like marble yet eyes fueled with fire and pressed under the weight of furrowed brows.

Erin's breath was caught in her throat as she recognized him as the man from the bar earlier, his hair resting about his shoulders like the feathers of a raven. Their eyes locked and Erin thought she could feel her skin burning under his hardened gaze. It wasn't directed to her though but the masculine figure over her shoulder, raising his meaty palm to grasp her breast. Before he could make contact, another spark of electricity prevented his hand from reaching its destination and was once again back to her waist, gripping her with hopeless aggression.

Erin's eyes were still trained on the stranger, afraid that he would disappear into the shadows if she broke contact. Pulling herself from the man, she pushed her way through the various intoxicated people, stepping through grinding couples and pushing men and women alike away from the path she had set to get to the tall stranger. She was so close, his eyes comparable to the light Jay Gatsby gazed upon, yearning for Daisy and all that she stood for. Nearly twenty feet away, the stranger disappeared from Erin's sight and left the young woman alone and confused. She glanced around, sobriety crashing down on the nightlife high and ripping her from the ninth cloud her surrounding peers were still riding on.

Needing fresh air and longing to search for the mysterious stranger, Erin left the Devil's Dance Floor and was soon greeted with a cold rush of air that cleared her senses as quickly as a bucket of cold water thrown at her face. Around her there were some other men and women, either laughing, crying, or puking on the sidewalk - none of which seemed to be the tall figure she was searching for.

She inhaled deeply, the chilly night air filling her lungs and released once again into the night, steaming from the sudden change of temperature in her lungs. Erin glanced around, realizing that if she stayed at the club, her night would most likely end up like the other men and women around her. She started walking in the direction of her home, her mind made up. The wind bit at her cheeks and her legs, but she thanked the alcohol in her body for dulling her senses so it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been.

Nearly a block away from the Devil's Dance Floor, she heard a voice from a ways behind her. Turning around, she found herself with a taller man whom she would not have recognized if it weren't for his dark tousled curls. "Hey, there. You ran out, thought you'd want to come back and have some more fun." His demeanor seemed overall friendly, but the booze on his breath had hit Erin's nose with such force that she took an involuntary step backwards.

"Oh, no I, uh, I decided to call it a night and head home while I still remembered where I live," she joked, still maintaining a kind smile for the inebriated man.

"Well we could always go back to your place and have some fun of our own, dontcha think?" He stepped forward, looming over the woman and making her feel like a rabbit cornered by a dog. A _big, dumb_ dog.

"Oh no thank you I'm fine, you have a good night though. Take care," she made to turn and make her escape, but he reached out and grasped her forearm and pulled her to him, the unwanted close proximity of his body sending chills through her body and raising the hair on the back of her neck.

"Don't be like that, babe, just let's have some fun with me and you whaddaya say?" his slurred speech unnerved the poor woman as she tried pulling away from his grasp.

"I said _no_ ," and successfully pulled herself from his grasp, spinning on her heel and trying her best to put distance between herself and the man. He caught up to her and pulled her hair, his fingers pulling strands from her scalp, as he twisted her into him, his breath hot and sticky on her face.

"You can't say no to me, baby doll, _no one_ says no to me."

" _I did,"_ Erin's voice was low, just above a whisper, trying to hide her fear and hope that he could only hear the anger in her voice. Anger and this man. Anger at the stranger from the bar that decided to show up once again only to disappear from her. Anger at herself, for allowing herself to get caught in such a terrible situation such as this.

His gripped tightened on her hair, "Well, then you better hope that you change your mind." He must have thought he was clever because he smirked after he said that and it didn't seemed to be directed at her at all. His free hand went to grip her hip and pull her to him but Erin tried with all her might to push him off of her, her hands like steel against his chest which only caused him to push back harder, treating it as if it were a game between friends. However, as Erin collected all the saliva in her mouth and puckered her lips to hurl it at him, the look in his eyes changed and he brought his hand up to smack her across the face, stunning her. Her hand left his chest and she felt the red irritated skin of her cheek while he seized the opportunity to push her around the corner up against the brick wall of the building they were near and out of sight to any passersby. His voice seethed anger and embarrassment as he gripped her, "You little _bitch."_

Before the man could do much else, a woman staggered into the small alley, stumbling over her feet as she held a flask to her chest. She was giggling uncontrollably, her bare shoulders shaking with each laugh that escaped her body. "Well, _hello,"_ she started, looking between the two of them, "am I interrupting anything?"

"Yeah, get outta here," he said, his eye contact not once leaving the woman trapped underneath his vice grip. "We're busy."

Erin could not utter a word, she only matched the man's gave evenly, trying to chase away the fear that stirred inside the pit of her belly.

The woman, taking in Erin's state, placed a hand on the man's arm, pressing her breasts against him. "Why don't you leave her, and come play with me? I can do things with you that this girl couldn't even dream of," she raised herself onto her toes and whispered seductively into his ear, "What do you say, I treat you like the man you are?"

He pushed the woman away from him, sending her back a few steps. "Get the hell out of here you whore! Can't you see that I'm in the middle of something?"

The woman, her coy persona completely diminished, furrowed her brow, "You obviously don't know how to listen." With a blink of an eye the young attractive woman vanished and in her place a tall looking man dressed in black and green armor, his head adorned with a gold horned helmet.

"What the fu-" His words were cut short as an alabaster hand came around to grip the man's shoulder and pulled him from Erin, sending him flying to the ground amongst the littered trash.

The intoxicated man scrambled to get up, trying to mask the confusion on his face by preparing to face off with the strangely dressed man. He rushed him, trying to ram through the taller man's center, but ran right through him and collided with a dumpster. Trying to get a hold of his bearings, he stood and turned to face the mysterious third party only to find his face unreadable, a perfect mask. Making a final attempt to harm the strange man, he lunged for him once again, fist raised to land a swing. However, as if time had stopped for him, his whole body was frozen, fist still positioned mid swing. His pupils contracted, emitting the fear the fear that was quickly overtaking his body.

The pale stranger responsible for his opponent's lack of mobility smirked and raised his hand, sending the man flying into the brick wall and rendering him unconscious

Erin watched her attacker's body crumple to the ground like a ragdoll, his bloodied head slumping forward. Her eyes slowly ventured over to the tall form, observing his slender build and broad shoulders. He turned to face her and Erin's breath stopped short when she was able to properly see his face. She couldn't forget those sharp mischievous eyes and impish grin from the bar earlier in the night.

As he strode towards her with incomparable confidence, his armor disintegrated before her eyes and was replaced with the unwrinkled black suit he had worn earlier. He stopped in front of Erin, his imposing form looming over her much smaller frame.

Erin stared blankly as he raised his chin ever so slightly to address her, but before the words could leave his lips, Erin felt the world spinning around her, ready to collapse at her very feet. The events of the day had caused a tsunami wave of adrenaline that had been subsided by booze and was finally threatening to swallow her whole. Her body was only capable of shutting down at that point and as her knees buckled and gave way, her body fell limp into the arms of her strange savior. As he cradled her weak form in his arms and started walking in the direction of her home, Erin was faced with many questions screaming at her inside of her head. They were all silenced once she breathed in his scent of pine and lavender, and she drifted off soundly in his arms.


	5. Chapter 5

Rain battered against the windows, the only sound that could be heard besides Erin's soft breathing. Her body was splayed out on the bed, still dressed in the clothes that she wore to Devil's Dance Floor hours prior.

Loki stood over her, observing the young woman. Her hair was tangled from the wind whipping it around outside. The rain drops on the window cast shadows across her face, appearing like quiet black tears dripping down her cheeks. He noticed the soft skin next to her lips beginning to swell where she was struck, bright pink compared to the paleness of her flesh. Leaning forward, he used his thumb to wipe at the black makeup that collected below her eyes, only to smudge and drag downward further.

Startled, Erin opened her eyes quickly and scanned the room and causing Loki to jump back, embarrassed at being caught attempting such an act of compassion.

She sat up and gathered her knees to her chest, her back pressed into the wall next to her bed, "Who are y-you? How- What are you doing here?" her words were in such a rush out of her mouth, Erin could hardly contain her stammers. Her eyes were still adjusting to the darkness of the room, but she could clearly make out the shape of the man that stood over her bed, his eyes fierce and intimidating, the same qualities mimicking in his stance - tall and impenetrable.

The corners of Loki's mouth tugged, a thin smirk forming on his lips as he watch her body tremor ever so slightly. She tried to conceal her fear like a frightened animal, but to his delight she could not hide her emotion from her eyes, shining like saucers with his face reflected in them. "I am Loki, of Asgard," he stated, his tone growing deeper and commanding, "You, mortal, will house me here on your planet until I deem fit." As he spoke, he stepped into the moonlight entering through the window, the horns of his helmet glowing in its ethereal beauty.

Her response was much less theatrical. Her jaw slacked as she blinked at him, her face as blank as a sheet of paper. "What?"

Loki clicked his tongue, clearly irritated by her incapacity to comprehend his demands. "You will extend your hospitalities to me while I stay here. Surely, you can understand these words in that small brain of yours."

He watched her chew at her lower lip, fresh blood filling in for where the skin was missing. Her silence was like nails on a chalkboard to the god, ironically. Rolling his eyes and with a swift jerk of his fingers, he sent Anna Karenina flying from her nightstand and onto the floor with thud that shook the gears in her head back into motion.

"You! That was you in The Rabbit Hole, but how? You were the guy in the bar earlier too, I thought you looked familiar… the one who saved me from that fall in the book store… the one who saved me from that awful man…"

"Yes, yes don't get all wrapped up in that, "he rushed her along with a wave of his hand, clearing his throat embarrassingly. "I am in need of a room as it appears Midgard has limited my strengths. I must rest."

Erin stared down at her feet silently with a furrowed brow, wiggling her toes inside her stockings.

"This is not a request, nor do you have a say in the mat-"

"I'll do it."

Loki halted, surprised by her resolute tone.

"You helped me a lot recently and I… It's the least I can do for you helping me escape that man earlier." She gasped, turning to Loki, "Is he alive?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I'm sure he is; I did him enough damage to keep him at bay-"

"Why didn't you kill him? He could come after you, call the police or hurt you himself!" She started rambling, gripping the leather material covering his forearms.

Loki shook her small hands from his sleeve, turning his back to her, "I will not be harmed, no one will believe a woman turned herself into a man and threw him into a wall."

Erin stood, turning on the lamp next to her bed, "They could believe anything, especially what happened after New York," she slowed as Loki turned to face her, a knowing look in his eye. "You were there. You, you were the one who brought those robot aliens things to Earth!" she clutched her forehead and sat back down on her bed, "Oh no, I'm harboring a fugitive. My mom would kill me if she knew."

"The Chitauri, as you so eloquently described, are but a small blip on my record," he stated with a wave of his hand, "You need not worry about a discovery in your involvement to aid me; that ridiculous band of idiots has kept me out of view from your people. I do not have to worry about recognition, nor do you. Only those closely involved with the attack know what truly transpired."

"Why did you do it?"

He turned to her, eyebrows raised, showing off his glistening teeth, "Because it's fun, exciting even!" As he turned to face her fully, he staggered, clutching the end of her nightstand.

Erin watched as the golden helmet vanished, disintegrating behind a veil of green light. She jumped from her bed and turned on her lamp, illuminating his ghostly pale face. The dark circles under his eyes weighed down onto his sickly white cheeks. His hair was matted and greasy, sticking to his neck with dampened sweat. She rushed out to grab him, "Woah, hey," she caught hold of his arm, attempting to steady him. She helped him onto her bed, withdrawing her hands as he shook her off.

"This pathetic body... I am a God, not a weak pitiful creature."

"What do you mean by 'pitiful creature?'" she questioned, offended, "Yeah, I may not be a magical elitist snob like yourself, but I'm pretty resilient given what I am."

He scoffed, "Not that you would understand, but when on Midgard, Asgardians are limited by the burden that you 'resilient' humans seek daily."

"You mean like, food and water?" she questioned, ignoring the condescending tone he used when addressing her status as a mortal.

"Precisely. I am forced to accommodate myself to the limitations of a mortal body."

Erin nodded, processing the information. "Well, let me get you some blankets. I have some extra sheets in my closet." She lifted herself off of her bed to go into her living room closet. Pulling a thick comforter and pillow from the top shelf, Erin busied herself with laying

them out on the couch for Loki. Once she felt that he would be satisfied with the couch, she made her way back into her bedroom to retrieve the god. "So, the couch can be pretty uncomfortable, but the trick is to put a thick blanket-," she stopped short when she noticed his sleeping form in her bed. He was perfectly still on his back, his breathing deep and slow. She reached for her blankets and covered him, tucking him in like a small child.

His face looked weathered and worn for someone that appeared to look not much older than she did. Underneath the the dark eyes and sallow cheeks, she could just make out the innocent face of a boy, and she smiled at the thought of a once happy young child while her heart hurt for the man - god - that he had become.

She picked up Anna Karenina from the floor, setting it back on the nightstand. Grabbing an oversized shirt from her closet, she quickly changed out of her dress and stockings, tossing them into the hamper and pulling the large soft material over her head.

After a quick glance back at his sleeping form, Erin retreated into the living room and settled into the stiff cushions on the couch. She lay awake staring at the ceiling until the sky turned pink to greet the sun, thinking about the god sleeping in her bed.

"Vince? Hey, I think I'm coming down with something. It's been a rough few days… are you okay with watching the store by yourself? Great, thank you so much! I appreciate it, buh-bye." Erin hung up the call, pressing her phone to her lips as she sat at her kitchen table, staring into her cup of coffee.

She received several missed calls from Anna, as well as a few worried text messages, but Erin didn't know how to explain to her that a god from another planet has been following her around for weeks and is now shacking up in her bed while she sleeps on the couch.

She kept herself busy throughout the day, completing a list of chores that had started to stack up over time. Every so often, she would pass by her room and stop to watch him, his body rising and falling in deep, rhythmic motions. Upon closer inspection, she could see that the circles under his eyes had lightened ever so slightly, but the sunken in state of him would only diminish after he filled his stomach.

Erin saw that he was still dressed in the strange clothes from the night before, the black trousers and vest and green overcoat. Worrying of his discomfort, she carefully pulled his coat from him, lifting his body slightly to maneuver it out from under him, surprised at how sturdy his lithe body was. Next, she removed his boots and placed them next to the bed gently as to not disturb him further. Understandably, he did not stir; it appeared as though he hadn't had proper sleep since he came to Earth. She hung his coat over the door to her closet and retrieved the blanket that she used on the couch to further protect him from the January chill.

Hearing her phone ringing from the other room, she rushed to answer it before the noise would wake him, seeing once again that it was Anna's name displayed on the screen. She answered it quickly, awaiting her friends worried anger.

"Hey, Anna."

"Erin? Goddammit why haven't you been answering any of my phone calls? What the fuck happened to you the other night, I looked over and didn't see you or that guy you were dancing with, so I thought you might have went with him, but to not tell me before you go? I was worried sick!" Her shrieking assaulted Erin's ears, scratching at her with the ferocity of a feral cat.

"I'm sorry Anna, I really am. I just, there was this guy at the bar and then at the club, and… God, you're going to think I'm crazy." She sighed into the phone.

"What are you talking about?"

"Meet me at Anything Goes in a half hour, I'll tell you then." Without waiting for a response, she ended the call and grabbed her coat by the door. Before she opened her door, she ran back into the kitchen and pulled out a notepad and pen from a nearby drawer, quickly scribbling a note down for Loki in case he awoke while she was gone. Leaving it in plain view on the kitchen table for him, she left her home and headed towards her bar, trying to figure out what she was going to tell Anna.

Entering the bar, she saw Gabe setting up the bar for the night.

"Hey Er, what are you doing in this early on a sunday? I don't even think all the old heads made it out of their noon time mass," he joked, looking up from the counter as he wiped at all the sticky surfaces.

"What's up Gabe, I'm just waiting for Anna. She and I separated at the club last night so we thought we'd meet up to share a few stories."

"Had a fun night then last night?" he asked, stopping what he was doing to lean forward on the bar, "You looked great last night, definitely had every man in here drooling."

Erin felt her cheeks heating up under his gaze, "Thanks, Gabe. I would've said hello but you seemed pretty preoccupied." she smiled, hinting at the women flocking around him the night before.

He laughed at her remark, his white teeth standing out against his warm golden skin. Erin couldn't help but wonder how he looked like such a typical west coast sun god in the middle of January in Philadelphia. "All those women couldn't hold a candle to you, you know that?" he asked, confidently holding his gaze on her.

"That's because I'm the one holding all the candles," she said sarcastically, avoiding his gaze as she glanced back at the door for her friend.

"Why don't you let me take you out to dinner sometime? It'll be great, spending time together just like we used to when we were younger."

Something tells me you want to be doing more than spending time together as friends, Gabe, Erin thought to herself as she tried to come up with an excuse for him.

"Erin!"

Thank God. Erin turned to Anna and returned her embrace as the Latina woman crushed her under her grip.

"You have a lot to of explaining to do missy," she started, removing her scarf and coat. "Hey Gabe."

"Anna," Gabe addressed her, sending a small smile. He stared at the two women as they exchanged a glance between them. He cleared his throat, "I'll uh, I'll leave you to it then. Call if you need anything," he tossed the rag over his shoulder and made for the back of the bar, his eyes flickering to Erin once again before he left.

"Sorry I didn't answer your calls I was just… so hungover this morning and couldn't bear to - is that a hickey!?" Erin pointed to the golf ball sized bruised skin on Anna's neck by her collarbone.

"Yes it is and that's not why we're here, so no deflecting! Start talking."

Erin sighed, "So, last night I was dancing with that guy. You know, the one with the brown curly hair? Well, we were dancing and I ended up going outside for some fresh air, and he followed behind me and wanted to go back to my place to screw around, but I wasn't really feeling it and when he started getting a little too pushy," she hesitated, choosing her words carefully, "this man stepped in and pushed him off. I was a little shaken up and not really in the mood for partying, so he offered to walk me home. I felt bad at how late it was and he's in from out of town so I said he was welcome to stay with me, as a thank you for helping me with that drunk asshole from the club."

Anna nodded slowly, "And he's there now?"

Erin nodded.

"To stay with you while he's in out of town?"

She nodded again.

"Is he hot?"

Erin hesitated. "He's handsome."

"Well, I couldn't have imagined it better myself!" Anna giggled like a school girl, "You, a tall, dark and handsome stranger staying with you after committing an act of chivalry - that's straight out of a romance novel! You'll have to tell me if he's good in the sack."

"Anna! I'm not sleeping with him."

"Not yet, you mean," she winked.

Gabe came back in through the bar with a case of rum, setting it on the counter below all the shelves of liquor, "How we doing? Am I missing anything?" he continued to sort through the bottles, placing them on their appropriate shelves.

"Only that Erin's getting laid by this mysteriously hot stranger for the next few days."

"Anna," Erin started, catching Gabe stop for a brief moment, the muscles in his shoulder blades taught from the tension on them, "We're not sleeping together. He's just a friend staying with me." she watched Gabe continue his work, appearing to look undisturbed by their conversation. "Let's talk about your hickey. Definitely wasn't your husband, I'm sure."

"You're right. Jackson, Recreational Therapist and sports enthusiast and hung for days!"

Erin rolled her eyes, completely unbaffled by her friends crude behavior. She laughed with her and listened to her night with Jackson the Recreational Therapist before she gathered her things to head to the store. "I'll see you guys later. Have fun at work tonight, Gabe."

He waved to her in response, smiling as she closed the door behind her, leaving he and Anna alone with a few other patrons that made their way in.

"You know," Anna started, "for having all those muscles, you sure are a weak ass bitch when it comes to just asking her out."

Gabe looked sideways at her, "Whatever." He grunted, rolling his eyes.

Hours later, Erin was pushing her whole body into the door as she struggled to open it with all the bags in her hands. It was dark in her apartment, as it usually was, and she found herself tripping over her feet as she made her way into the kitchen to set all the bags down. She noticed the note on the table lay exactly as it had been when she left. She entered her room to find Loki in the same deep slumber he had been in when she had left. She took all the bags and brought them into her room and cleared a drawer out for him, filling it with all of the necessities he will need for the foreseeable future. It was much later in the day than she had expected, and Erin had found herself tired from the little sleep she had the previous night.

She looked at Loki's sleeping form, unmoving, and pulled up the chair from the corner of her room to his bed, having a seat in the soft cushion.

She had no idea what the next few days, or even weeks would bring. He was a powerful, otherworldly being capable of ending her life with so much as a snap of his fingers, and she was supposed to keep him happy and satisfied. How for fuck's sake am I supposed to do that? She ran a hand through her hair, more tired and overwhelmed in the past twenty four hours than she had ever been in the past twenty four years of her life.

She glanced over at her nightstand, and saw Anna Karenina sitting there neatly, the cover worn from all the times Loki undoubtedly tossed it onto the floor with his magic. She picked it up and turned to the first page, reading aloud, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Everything was in confusion in the Oblonskys' house. The wife had discovered that the husband was carrying on an intrigue with a French girl, who had been a governess in their family, and she had announced to her husband that she could not go on living in the same house with him…"

Author's Note:

I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. How do we feel about our characters Gabe and Anna? They're an interesting pair but what friends aren't?

I apologize dearly for the delay - the holidays are tough, am I right? I hope to have another chapter out soon. Keep an eye out on my profile for an upcoming date.

Much love to all of you. Continue to review the story, or message me what you think.

Happy Holidays!


	6. Chapter 6

Erin woke, squinting her eyes as she pulled herself up from her bed. _Wait a minute._ Curiously glancing around, she noticed she must have fallen asleep reading to Loki. The lower half of her body was tucked into the large chair in which she sat in while her arms were folded underneath her jaw, the top of her head resting comfortably against Loki's side. _Anna Karenina_ lay next to her on her bed, turned faced down to hold the page she had last read.

She arched her back, feeling little pops as she released the tension that built up while sleeping in her awkward position. Erin rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand sloppily, glancing at the young man through her fingers. He seemed at peace in his slumber. She smiled, happy that he was able to rest easy.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she was surprised to find that the time was well after four in the afternoon. "Fuck," she cussed under her breath, angry at herself for losing that much daylight.

Erin pulled her hair into a knot on top of her head, ignoring he tangles in her hair, and went to the bathroom to ready herself for the rest of the day that she had left, also deciding not to do much more than wash her face and brush her teeth. She examined her face in the mirror and rubbed at the impressions made on her cheek from her bedsheets.

The young woman searched her room and found her comfy spandex pants and pulling them on over her bare legs. She pulled the sweatshirt closest to her off of a hanger and swapped it with the oversized t shirt that she had worn throughout the night. She checked on Loki once again to make sure he was okay, softly brushing his oily black tresses from his face like a mother to her child. The sun was already preparing to lower into the horizon and Erin found herself cursing winter and daylight savings time for taking the sun away from her so soon.

"Guess we're skipping straight ahead to dinner," she said aloud to herself, preparing to search her kitchen for food. She pulled a large pot from her cabinet and started cutting vegetables to throw into it, pulling as much from her fridge as she had. Luckily she had found beef buried in there as well, still fresh to her surprise. After placing all the vegetables in the pot with the beef and stock, she covered it with a lid and turned the stove on low before returning to her bedroom to seat herself beside the sleeping man once again.

Picking up the book she bagan, "'None but those who were most intimate with Alexey Alexandrovitch knew that, while on the surface the coldest and most reasonable of men, he had one weakness quite opposed to the general trend of his character.'" Erin glanced up to find that she was being watched by a pair of eyes, their green irises barely able to be seen through the long black eyelashes that fluttered around them, blinking away the crummy sand that invaded. She pulled herself from the seat, suddenly aware of how close she was to this dangerous being, but his hand shot out from the blankets and cool fingers wrapped themselves around her wrist, steadying her from her flight.

"Don't," he whispered, his grip tightening around her. "Please, keep reading to me."

She watched him, his breath no longer deep but short and shallow. His eyes held hers with an quiet strength that seemed to extend to the hand that held her own to the bed.

Slowly, he withdrew from her, holding her gaze as he brought his hand to rest on his chest.

Erin lowered herself back into her chair hesitantly. He appeared so vulnerable, unlike that arrogant man who had originally introduced himself from the night before. His face did not betray him except for the way his brows knit together, as if they were cowering from her. She felt the weight of the book in her hands, it's presence more prominent than ever before. She opened it and continued, "'Alexey Alexandrovitch could not hear or see a child or woman crying without being moved. The sight of tears threw him into a state of nervous agitation, and he utterly lost all power of reflection…'"

Erin continued to read to Loki, who would often drift off, slowly closing eyes, his jaw loosening until he would awaken once again and continue to watch the young woman speak. After a few hours, Erin's phone went off, trilling loudly and interrupting both of them from their story. She rose and entered the kitchen to check on her food, stirring the contents slowly.

"What is that smell?"

She jumped at the closeness of him, his tall form leaning over her to peer into the large pot. "It's beef stew, my mom used to make it during the winter," she glanced back at his and cast a reassuring smile. She could hear his stomach rumble slightly, to which he responded by stepping away from the stove, rubbing the back of his neck.

Erin covered the pot once more and turned to face the god, wiping her hands on her pants. "I went out and got some clothes for you to wear yesterday," she rushed past him and went to her room, chatting along the way as he followed her, "I wasn't really sure of your size or style, but I think I got a good variety for you," she reached into the drawer and pulled a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt, "Here you go." She handed him the neatly folded clothes.

He eyed them disdainfully before taking them from her hands and staring at her pointedly.

"Oh! Right, sorry, the bathroom is right across the hall from my room when you're ready" she rushed out of the room to give him some privacy.

The stew was just about finished as she stirred at the broth, bringing the liquid to her lips and tasting it. Behind her, Erin was able to hear Loki shuffle into her bathroom, closing the door behind him quietly, followed by the sound of running water.

For the next fifteen minutes, Erin placed a tray of canned biscuits in the oven and pulled two bowls and spoons from the cupboard to set the table. She heard the water shut off as Loki made his way back into her bedroom. She gave him a few minutes to himself before she tapped lightly on the bedroom door, "Dinner is ready if you'd like to eat," her voice was quiet, but nearly a whisper when she caught sight of him through the small opening of the door. She could make out his reflection as he stared at his bare torso in her floor length mirror.

His body was still dripping with water, gliding down the contours of his body and stopping at the waistband of the black sweats he wore. He was examining the injuries on his body, as was she from a distance; the bruises on his back and shoulders were large and covered a good amount of his right side along his ribs. She watched every bone and muscle in his body work together as he brought his hand up to his neck to rest in the space next to his collarbone, his lithe form stretching and enjoying the warmth that the shower provided him.

The sudden trilling from the alarm set on her phone alerted both of them, and Erin rushed back to the device on the kitchen counter, trying to slow her breathing as he emerged from her bedroom to stand before her, a grey long sleeve shirt in the place of his pale and bruised torso.

Erin quickly pulled the biscuits from her eyes, avoiding his eyes as she set them on the stove and picked up the pot of stew to bring it to the table. "I, uh, I made you food," she said lamely.

Loki's face remained blank but his eyes took on a mischievous spark as he sat himself in the wooden chair opposite her, more interested in watching her stammer over her words than saving her from her blunder. _Silly girl,_ he thought amusedly, _nothing escapes my observation - least of all sneaking!_ The sudden sound erupting from his belly made the god retract his original plan of humiliating her, fearing that he wouldn't be able to enjoy the delicious smelling food she provided.

Erin was quick to fill his bowl, slipping a biscuit onto a napkin and handing it to him quietly. She then made herself some food and sat adjacent to him as he stuffed his face with the stew.

They ate in silence, the only noise heard was the awkward scraping of silverware and chewing.

Erin watched him as he ate from the corner of her eye, studying his movements. Although he seemed to move the food quickly into his mouth, Loki still had his dignity. He posture was perfectly upright, and he kept his elbows off the table as he captured the perfect mouthful onto his spoon before gracefully lifting it to his lips. _Every mother's dream_ , Erin thought to herself as he used a napkin to wipe at an invisible spot on the corner of his mouth.

Erin felt her face heat up as his eyes met hers, his eyes squinting down at her ever so slightly. She abruptly pushed herself back from the table and collected the leftover food off of it, setting it all down by the sink so she could distract herself with the dishes. The pleasant course of action was hopelessly crushed as she felt his cool breath on the back of her neck. She shivered at his breathe, not daring to face him.

"You think I such a fool," he started, "that I can't even recognize a peeping tom when I see one? I am the god of mischief, and your tomfoolery is quite," he pause, slipping his fingers around a stray curl that escaped her bun, " _mischievous."_

Erin's knees were shaking, and she feared that if he remained this close to her, towering over her, then she would crumble. The skin between her thighs grew warmer as it felt the heat coming from his body. She finally looked up into his eyes and saw a flicker of something roguish. He was teasing her.

Erin placed her hands on his chest, trying to push him away from her to give herself a little air. The god appeased her only by taking a single step backward, his intimidating presence still looming over her. Erin kept her head down, desperately fighting the heat that crept up the back of her neck.

"You know," he leant forward to lower his head by her neck, his breath hot on her ear," if you wish to look upon my body so much, perhaps I could let you have a little more fun with it. Other women have come to pleasure me to satisfy their needs, I see not why you, a simple woman can do the same. My brother seemed to enjoy the services that you human women provide."

Erin moved away from him, pushing Loki back further and knocking him over slightly. "Your brother? You mean Thor, don't you?" She searched his face, but was only met with a wide eyed, blank stare. She rushed into her bedroom only to retrieve a minute later with a book in her hand. "Vikings worshiped the Norse gods and goddesses. Now, I know it says somewhere in here that Thor is your nephew," she started thumbing through pages, scanning them briefly, "but it may be possible that he could be both, if some weird incestual shit went on." She made it through a few more pages until he snatched the book from her hands.

"Hey, give it back!" She reached to take it back from him, but given his height he merely just held in over her head, while he smirked down at her. "You're," she jumped, "such a," another jump, "bully."

He suddenly stopped and handed the book back to her, rubbing at his damp hair. He retreated to the wooden chair by the table. "Yes," he stated, pinching the black material covering his legs, "that oaf is my adopted brother," he said with distaste. "It's his fault that I ended up in this mess." Loki sounded like a child the way he blamed his brother, Erin was waiting for him to stomp his feet on her kitchen floor.

"What do you mean, 'his fault?'"

Loki found a loose piece of string and twirled it around his finger, cutting off the circulation in the digit. "New York. He and his group of super imbeciles took what belonged to me, and now I am forced to carry out my sentence on this earth living with _your_ kind." He spat the last few words at her.

" _My_ kind?," she bit back, "It's _my_ bed you've been sleeping in, _my_ food you've been eating, _my_ hot water you've been using and _my_ books you've been reading!" She cocked her hip and crossed her arms angrily, "So if you could kindly pull that royal nordic stick out of your ass and show me some sincere gratitude then maybe I'll think about letting you stay here instead of throwing your ass back onto the street where you belong!" Erin finished, poking his chest.

Loki snapped the loose string with a forceful tug and stood, towering over her, "And what makes you think that you can keep me out, hmm? You think that you stand a chance against me? _I could end your insignificant life._ "

Erin stood toe to toe with him, her nose inches from his, "You're still weak. Even you still need time to fully heal. Now I'd appreciate it if instead of belittling me in my own home you'd maybe say 'thank you' or 'great cooking, Erin.'"

They continued to stare into each other's eyes, neither wanting to submit to the other until Loki stepped back and sat in his chair, grumbling under his breath. Erin released the breath she had been holding and continued doing the dishes, ignoring the weighted silence in the air.

"Thank you," Loki muttered, barely able to be heard over the running water.

Erin turned to him, "What was that, Your Highness?"

Loki cleared his throat. "Thank you, Erin, for this marvelous feast. I do hope to taste your cooking again soon."

The young woman smirked, her back straightening with pride, "Now was that so hard?" she smiled and him, watching as Loki rolled his eyes.

"You, woman," Loki commented, biting back the smirk playing at his lips, "are delightfully infuriating."

Hours later, Erin was fixing her makeshift bed on the couch while Loki watched her from the archway between the living room and kitchen.

"I guess you can take my room for a few more nights, that is until your body heals a bit more." She saw his face out of the corner of her eye, scoffing at her. "Look, you can act like that all you want, but I saw the bruises. I would like for you to accept my help, because I don't many people in this part of the world would." She straightened up and turned to face him, her hands resting on her hips.

"Fine."

"Good." She patted his arm as she passed him to go to her room to grab a change of clothes. "I have to go to work at the bookstore tomorrow. You're more than welcome to join me if you'd like to get out of the house."

"I suppose it will be a pleasant change from these gloomy walls," Loki commented, following behind her and sitting himself on her bed.

"That's fair," she remarked, "Well, I'll leave you to it then, goodnight." She closed the door behind her, leaving Loki to himself.

He sat there for a moment or two, reflecting on the time he had spend with the woman. She was stubborn and had a spark, that was for sure. He chuckled, _for a small and fragile human, she knows how to match me._ Loki stretched out onto her bed, surrounded by her smell. He turned over to the book on the nightstand and continued to read from where she had left off.

Meanwhile, Erin set her neatly folded clothes onto the coffee table and looked around before her shaking knees gave out and she collapsed onto the couch. Her hand flew to her head as she leaned back to stare at the ceiling, _Picking a fight with an immortal god, Lord I must have a death wish._

 _Author's Note:_

Sorry for such a delay friends, it's been awhile since I have had the time to sit down and write. This chapter may be short but I hope that it's worth it. Check my profile out for postings of future Chapters. Much love, xoxoxox


	7. Chapter 7

"No magic."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me," Erin stated, avoiding the bodies that passed her, either rushing to work or out for their morning jog, whereas Loki barely flinched as people skirted around him, avoiding his path. "I won't be able to explain to anyone how you're causing objects to float or disappear out of thin air." His silence caused her to stop and face him, "Please," she asked, looking into his eyes, her breath clearly visible as it escaped her lips, "I need you to actually promise me that you'll refrain from using your magic where people can see you. It'll keep you safe."

Loki scoffed, his eyebrows raising incredulously, "What makes you think _I_ need _protecting_?" He saw her eyes glisten slightly, her long black lashes gathering around the excess moisture and instantly regretted being the one to cause it. He turned his attention to a nearby tree, finding it much easier focus on the unimpressive plant. After a few moments his voice came out low, "If it pleases you, I'll do my best to keep from using my magic."

Erin smiled, "Great." Stepping out of his path, she continued on her way as Loki followed. He stole glances at her briefly, taking in her cheerful demeanor as she shuffled around the oncoming pedestrians. She was nearly skipping in her boots as she took in the crisp morning air, the wind blowing her crimson waves. It appeared as if a painter dipped his brush in the burning sun to paint the color of her locks.

They were stopped suddenly by an elderly woman wearing so much fur, Loki was surprised she wasn't mistaken for an old bear.

"Ms. Fillmore! What a pleasant surprise!" Erin exclaimed, stepping forward to stand in front of Loki. _As if my 5'5" tall body could hide his 6'2 frame,_ she thought to herself.

The old woman took Erin's face in her hands and kissed her cheeks. "How are you, my dear? Off to work today?"

"Yes, ma'am," the young woman nodded sweetly, her cheeks pressing into her teeth. "Vince is back as well if you'd care to pop in for a visit."

"Lovely, I imagine his trip to Poland was a pleasant one." Her eyes strayed to the Loki, "Now I know you're going to introduce me to this devilishly handsome man behind you." Ms. Fillmore's eyes traveled over Loki's tall slender form behind Erin, batting her mascara-clumped eyelashes at him. He shifted his weight on his feet uncomfortably. _Shit._

"Oh, um, Ms. Fillmore, th-this is," Erin hesitated, "Sam. Sameal Skarsgard."

"Sam-?" Loki halted when he felt the heel of Erin's boot digging into the toe of his shoe. He cleared his throat, steeping around her towards the older woman, "Call me Sam, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it softly.

"Please, call me Beverly," she purred, "and the pleasure is all mine, _stud."_

Loki smiled weakly, noticing the stained lipstick on Ms. Fillmore's teeth.

"Well," Erin chimed in, "we should get going. I'll see you around Ms. Fillmore."

"Certainly, dear! Lovely to meet you as well, Mr. Skarsgard."

Erin pulled Loki along, quickening her pace as she tugged at his hand. Once they had made it a good distance away, Erin found it appropriate to slow down. She blew a gust of air from her lips and loosened her knit scarf.

"Sam? You couldn't think of a better name than what you would name a dog?"

She rolled her eyes at his fussy behavior, "I didn't really have time to run through a list of names for you in the three seconds I was given to answer her! Plus, Sameal is the archangel of death and is commonly referred to as both good and evil... which seemed like a good fit." Erin surveyed Loki's outfit, consisting entirely of black, from his scarf and coat all the way down to his shoes.

"And Skarsgard?" he inquired.

Erin murmured, her cheeks darkening from more than the wind.

"Excuse me?"

"Aleksander Skarsgard, he's an actor." Her voice was much smaller than the usual volume she held it at.

Loki smiled deviously, "A crush, no doubt. I'm quite honored that you'd consider me worthy of bearing his surname." He stepped closer to her, the difference in their heights suddenly much more noticeable.

"Yeah, well don't let it get to your head," she retorted, opening the door to the Rabbit Hole. She turned to face the god, stopping him from entering, "You know where I live. Go home and relax, there's a key for you under the welcome mat - not that you need it to get in," she looked at him pointedly, "I'll be done around 5 if you'd like to get groceries with me."

Loki appeared bored by the very thought, but with deflated shoulders he thought to appease her and accompany the young woman. With a warm smile, she turned gracefully on her heel and closed the door behind her, leaving him alone in the crisp morning air.

Loki turned on his heel and retraced his steps to make his way back to her home, fighting the slight tug of his lips. She was a strange creature no doubt, but he couldn't deny how entertaining she was. Loki had never known a woman - midgardian or not - to have such a pure and innocent smile, especially given the actions he'd seen her partake in the night that she had finally met him. The look in her eyes when he bit back at her about his protection put an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach, as if he had caused her a hurt that would last a lifetime. He couldn't let himself surrender to her, because that would make his idiotic brother _right,_ and Loki would not let that happen especially after he was the reason that Loki ended up with ended up staying with this woman on this boring planet.

Eight hours later, Loki practically magicked his way back to the bookstore to meet Erin, his legs moving quick and silently as the wind. The empty rooms of her little home were near suffocating him after he read through nearly half her small library. He tucked his chin further into his scarf, the wind becoming slightly more blustery as he reached the decrepit looking building. He caught a glimpse of her through the window, retrieving her coat from the back of the chair behind the desk she occupied. She stretched her denim clad legs before leaving the store, meeting Loki with a sweet grin and a bit more hop in her step.

"Hey, you, fun day today?" she beamed up at him, the warmth of her body shielding him from the assaulting wind. Her hair was picked up by the rush of air and tickled the front of his coat, her scent reaching his nose.

The God of Mischief took a small step back, placing some distance between them, "It was adequate enough, I suppose." He watched her lips flicker downward slightly at his retreat from her, her eyes dimming for the briefest of moments.

"Glad to hear it. Ready to get going then?" she stepped past him, starting for the direction of the supermarket. With a grunt, he settled into step beside her, his arm brushing her shoulder in the very slightest.

They strolled in silence, Erin pulling her beanie further down her head to block the wind. She bristled as the wind pulled at her scarf in every direction before whipping around to smack her face. She angrily pulled the material from her face and caught the god chuckling silently to himself as watched her struggle.

"I swear to whatever gods there are out there, that if you had anything to do with that…" she glared at him before they both burst into a fit of laughter, the tense silence between them long forgotten.

Erin wandered down aisle after aisle, grabbing items off shelves and tossing them into them into the basket hanging on her arm. She moved confidently, knowing the small store like the back of her hand.

"Is there anything you want?" Erin asked Loki as she kept searching the shelves.

Loki looked at all the packaged food, taking in the bright colors and bubbly lettering on the boxes when one in particular caught his eye. He picked it up and presented it to the redhead, his expression inquisitive.

"Pop-tarts?" she informed him simply.

His face, if possible, grew even more confused.

She chuckled, taking the box from it and opening it carefully so she could show him, already committed to buying them. As she was pulling of the individual silver packaging, she stole glances at the man watching her, "Have you ever had s'mores before?"

"More what?"

She giggled, this intimidating god sounding like a curious child, "It's chocolate, marshmallow, and graham crackers… You know what, just try it." She broke off a piece and held it out to him, watching as he took it from her and gingerly popped it into his mouth. He chewed it silently, his cheeks becoming flush as he tried to hide how thoroughly he enjoyed the flavors on his tongue.

Erin laughed aloud and grabbed a few more boxes to add to her basket, "Good, I like them too."

"Excuse me?"

The pair turned around and was greeted with a woman appearing apologetic as she glanced towards Loki. "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, but I can't seem to reach the top shelf. Do you mind?" she batted her lashes at Loki, taking her overly plump lip in between her teeth.

Loki nodded, unimpressed by her flirtatious manner. He followed her over to the end of the aisle and followed the direction of her slender fingers as she pointed up towards a box of cereal on the highest shelf.

Erin stayed by her spot next to the pop tarts, watching as Loki reached the desired box with ease and brought it down to the woman's level. She took it from his grasp, placing a well manicured hand on his arm, "Thank you so much," Erin heard her say, noticing how the woman straightened her back, slightly pressing her chest into the arm her talons were wrapped around, "It'd be nice to have a guy like you around for times like these."

Erin rolled her eyes, biting into her pop tart. She knew he wasn't interested in her, or was he? She didn't know. She didn't know anything about the god-man that was staying with her. Maybe he did find this woman attractive, or maybe he had a woman waiting for him at home. The thought that frustrated her the most though was that she couldn't tell why she even cared. She credited to how ridiculous this other woman was making herself look. Loki's eyes glanced up and met hers before they returned to the woman in front of him, suddenly smirking and placing his hand on the small of her back. _How ridiculous they are both making themselves look_.

Finally Loki returned to Erin, smirking down at her arrogantly.

"Okay lover boy, let's get a move on before you distract any more desperate women," Erin remarked, biting into the second opened package of pop tarts.

Loki eyed her as she bit into the treat, his eyes laughing silently at her apparent jealousy.

She rolled her eyes in response, "Just shut up and carry the basket."

Finishing their shopping, they walked home together in silence, each of them wrapped in their own thoughts. Loki's lips tugged at the corners as he thought back to his companion's heated glare under furrowed brow as he talked to the deeply annoying woman in the grocery store. He was happy that he could elicit such a reaction from her. Sneaking a glance at her, he noticed that her brow still remained furrowed, but her eyes had a distant look to them as if lost in a world of thoughts.

"Is that what you usually go for?" she asked him suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"That girl. Does she look like the women where you are from?"

His lips curled upward slightly. "No, she couldn't hold a candle to the women in Asgard."

"What do the women in Asgard look like?" she looked up at him, genuinely interested in hearing about the unknown place he came from.

He contemplated for a few moments, "Nothing special."

Erin looked at him incredulously. "What do you mean by that? Aren't they supposed to be _goddesses?_ That's like the epitome of beauty!"

He chuckled slightly at her, "Yes, well, I never really took much notice of them, nor they me; Thor was who all the women wanted, and I didn't care enough to convince them otherwise."

"Well surely you've, you know… done it, right?" Erin couldn't help the color filling her cheeks.

Loki coughed, his own cheeks mimicking hers, "Of course I have. I'm not ignorant of women." He couldn't help but sound disappointed that she thought he didn't know of a woman's body - he had desires like any man.

"Yeah, yeah, of course - I mean, _obviously,"_ she stuttered over her words, "I'm sure you were popular amongst the ladies."

They walked on in silence once again, only a few blocks from their destination.

"The women - in Asgard - they would all look tragically mundane next to you."

Loki's voice was a low murmur, so low that Erin thought perhaps the words weren't meant to reach her ears, but they did. So she fought the small smile tugging at her lips, and blamed her reddening cheeks on the wind.

Long time no see friendos! Sorry for the hiatus - there's no good excuse. But I'm back! I'll be coming in hot too!

Let me know how you all feel about the story and the characters. Your reviews keep me going!

Love you all! xoxo


	8. Chapter 8

**I want to take a moment to thank CassieAnne97potatoes for being my very first review. Words cannot explain how much it means to me that you took to read Show Me Love before it had gotten this far.**

 **Also to musicalishmonster and KittyBear98 for continuing to share your opinions on the direction this story is heading.**

 **I'm so happy that I can create something worth reading for you all! Much love friends, RinFox xoxoxo**

Making it home before it got too dark, Erin set to work preparing dinner for the two, haphazardly chopping vegetables and tossing them into a pan. Loki sat at the table flicking through the of one of her books, stealing glances at the occupied woman over the pages. Her copper red hair was tied loosely at the nape of her neck, loose pieces of hair falling around her face. She rubbed at her cheeks, scratching as the pesky strands tickled her.

Erin moved the vegetables around in the pan, pleased by the sound of the grease bubbling furiously.

"The smell is quite appetizing," a voice sounded in her ear. Jumping at the sudden intrusion on her personal space, she tried to keep her focus on the task before her.

"T-thanks. Should be ready in, uh, ten minutes," she stammered.

Loki smirked, pleased with the effect he had on her. He delighted in toying with her, watching a medley of expressions dance their way across her freckled face.

"Would you mind grabbing the plates above the sink?" she managed to get out quietly, refusing to look up from the stove.

He nodded, stepping next to her where the sink was located and grabbed the plates from the cupboard above, placing them on the table.

Erin worked quickly to finish making dinner, seasoning it lightly before she felt cool hands brush the tops of her arms and ghost their way over her elbows, coming to rest on either side of the stove. Her skin rose, trailing behind in the places she felt his hands, while the hairs on her neck stiffened under the soft caress of his breath. After the initial shock, Erin slowly found herself leaning into his embrace, finding comfort, wanting more… until grease shot from the pan and landed on the bit of flesh exposed between her jeans and the hem of her shirt.

"Fuck! Ow, ow, ow…" She spun around, instinctively clutching her burning skin, when just past the Loki holding her was the _actual_ Loki, leaning back in his chair with his legs propped lazily on the table.

"No. Magic." The words left her lips like heavy weights. Her face was as red and and hot as burning iron, completely mortified by being fooled by his simple tricks.

Loki smiled at her anger, daring her to unleash her rage. "It's just the two of us here, darling - I didn't think you'd object to me exercising my abilities." He smirked triumphantly, awaiting her response.

Erin, however, could only imitate a fish as she gasped for breath, searching for the words she wanted to convey while keeping the intensity of her emotions to a minimum. Her face wouldn't cool down, the embarrassment of the situation was too great for her. How could he do something so cruel like that? How could he give the illusion of false intimacy like that? They were finally starting to go somewhere, finally able to establish some sort of common ground with one another, only to have him so rudely betray her trust like that.

She didn't want to look at him anymore for the rest of the night - she _couldn't_ look at him - so she took her coat from from the absent chair across from the bemused god and headed for her door, her only words to him short and emotionless, "Your dinner is on the stove."

The cold night air brushed against Erin's face, cooling the heat from her cheeks as she stepped out into the fresh night air. Her legs moved with stiff purpose as she blinked back angry tears. She didn't realize what she had agreed to - taking in some strange god from a completely different world is much easier said than done. _I could just kick him out._ No she couldn't. He said so himself. But why did he have to be so cruel? She felt like she was in middle school again when boys picked on her for her baby fat and pasty freckled skin. It was obvious that they were just boys being boys, but the vulnerability of the situation felt familiar, like Loki was one of the school boys that would share his crayons and then have a laugh with his friends at her own expense.

Although Erin had grown into adulthood and gained the confidence she had today, it was as if she had minor flashbacks to the person she had once been and might still be underneath it all.

Her feet carried her to the bar, wanting to forget about the 6'2" god undoubtedly laughing at how naive she had been. Upon opening the door, she could already hear Anna's sultry voice as she was flirting with a fellow patron.

Anna, immediately noticing her new friend, abruptly ended her conversation with the man beside her and followed Erin to a stool at the further end of the bar. "Hey, you. Popping in for a little night cap?"

"Not exactly." She waved Gabe down, holding up two fingers to him.

"Oh no, sweetie, I'm good. It's gonna be an early night for me."

"It's not for you."

With a sigh, Anna rubbed the younger woman's back comfortingly, "Okay, sweetie, what's on your mind?"

Over the next hour, Erin's deflated aura livened up as she animatedly described her first encounters with Loki, coming clean about the night in the club and leading up to her walking out of her home where she left the god. Anna was silent the entire time, barely sipping from her watered down beverage.

"...I just don't understand. He has these moments of kindness and even, dare I say it, _selflessness,_ only to just act like a total jerk! He should be thankful that he has somewhere to stay and I'm not giving him up to the police _or_ the Avengers."

"Erin," Anna finally spoke up, reaching for the woman's hand, "Honey, I'm not saying I don't believe you, it's just - this sounds rather _far reaching_. I mean, why would Loki, the guy that you claim was behind the attack in New York, be _here, on earth, staying with you?_ Even if it is him, Loki isn't a friendly. He can kill you after he tricks you into believing you're safe. Are you sure maybe this is a weird ass Criss Angel wannabe that's just giving you a run for your money as some sick joke?"

"Anna, I know I sound crazy," she drew in a breath, "but there's no other truth to this story that I can give you."

The two women stared into each other's eyes for some time, unsure of what to say next. Finally, with a deep breath, Anna broke the silence, "Okay, fine. I can believe you if that's what you would like for me to do. We can talk about it more later, but for right now I think we should both be on our way back home." She stood from the stool and held a hand out to her companion, her tanned skin radiating the warmth of the midday sun.

Erin shook her head, politely declining, "Thanks, but I'm gonna stick around for a bit longer. Won't be out too late, I promise." She reached forward and hugged the dark haired girl, taking in the smell of her luxury perfume.

"Ok. Good night," Anna pulled away and walked in the direction of the exit. "Gabe, make sure she makes it home ok." At his nod, Anna sent one last wave over her shoulder before disappearing into the night.

Erin didn't drink anymore, instead deciding to stare into the bottom of the glass encased by her hands, as if it could tell her what the future of her decisions would bring. What if Loki does kill her? What if he's waiting for the opportune moment to strike, or he's just wearing her down until she loses her mind and ends up in a mental ward for running naked through the streets screaming about aliens and gods? Each thought she had only caused her to sink deeper into the pit she was in, no longer trying to fight her way out of it.

Gabe, standing nearby, flicked the lights on. She was the last customer, she had realized. Most of the chairs were pulled up onto the surfaces and the floor had been freshly mopped. She shrugged her coat on and stood up from her seat, placing it on the bar with the others. Gabe watched her head for the door, "Erin," he started, following her outside in front of the building, "I don't know what's been bugging you, but if it's any consolation, you have a lot of people here that care about you. We all just want to be around to see you smile." He scratched the back of his neck lamely, looking down at his black shoes.

Erin smiled, feeling genuinely happy she had him by her side. Reaching forward, she hugged him tightly, quickly enveloped by his strong arms. He smelled like a man, like body spray and soap and mouthwash, but he didn't smell like lavender and pine - like _Loki._

She pulled away from Gabe, still comforted by his words, "Thanks, Gabe. It means a lot."

"Anytime. Do you want to stick around a little longer? I just need to finish up a bit more before and then I could walk you home."

"I should be fine. I only live a couple blocks away," she reassured him. It would have been nice, but she definitely wasn't in the mood to have Loki notice him and to start, well, being Loki.

She tried to ignore the way his shoulders slumped forward, or his deflated voice when he replied, "Okay, sure."

Giving him one last quick hug, Erin started her short trek home, grateful for the silence that accompanied the night. The street lights buzzed overhead, a few flickering slightly as she walked down the center of the street, knowing there would be no cars out this late at night save for a few late night travelers.

Nearly a block away from her home, the sound of tires crunching along asphalt alerted her. The sound drew closer and closer until the lights cast a shadow on her form, informing her that the car was approaching her from behind. Before she had thought to move, a sickening scraping noise was heard in the same direction and Erin turned to find this car had driven too close to the cars parked on the street, thoroughly damaging them as it passed. Instead of stopping, the car only seemed to accelerate further, heading straight for Erin, its horridly bright lights near blinding the young woman. Her breath caught in her throat and as she stared down the headlights of this rapidly emerging vehicle, she couldn't help but wonder if this is how deer and roadkill feel before they get hit. If so, it's a frightening way to go, she decided.

Giving into the fear, she could only wait for the car to hit her fragile body like a fallen branch.

That never happened though.

Instead, she found herself tucked into someone's side, her head being cradled into the person's neck. Her heart was beating so rapidly that she could barely hear her name of the thumping in her ears. "Erin, _Erin_? Say something." Her face was being patted, a little roughly at first, as she caught her bearings. An all too familiar scent filled her lungs and she focused her eyes on the concerned pale greens ones before her.

"Loki? What are you doing here?" she asked lamely, still recovering from the shock of almost being hit by a two thousand pound car.

"What am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ doing walking in the middle of a road where you can get attacked by those weird mechanical horses!?" His eyes looked different. Was he glaring at her? "Do you not realize that your life is pathetically fragile and limited? How dimwitted are you?!" Oh yes, definitely glaring. "If you want to go off and get yourself killed then you're gonna have to cook more than one horribly charred meal before you do."

"Well, excuse me but I am not your maid, sir," she retorted weakly, attempting to stand on her own before her legs turned to jelly beneath her and gave out. Thankfully, Loki knew she'd never make it on her own so he gathered her in his arms and pulled her to his chest, cradling her body with ease. "A-and I didn't burn anything - I'm a good cook," she mumbled into of his coat, once again finding herself embarrassed in his presence.

"Yes, yes you are. Which is why you cannot go off all willy nilly getting yourself killed." He looked down at her, a smirk playing at his lips. "How many times do I have to rescue you before you realize that, darling?"

Erin kept her head cradled under his chin, her heart still thrumming loudly enough that she was afraid maybe he would hear. She allowed him to carry her home, setting her gently on her bed once they had made it inside. He left the room for a few minutes to grab a glass of water for her, placing it into her outstretched palm. He watched her take large, generous gulps, noticing how the fingers around the glass had a white knuckled grip on it.

She finished the glass and placed it on her end table, staring up at the god before her with grateful eyes. "Thank you, for saving me a second time since you've been here."

He smirked down at her, taking in her disheveled appearance - her hair had grown knotted from the wind whipping it about and her face was paler than usual for her. Loki was surprised that he knew how she felt; her life was close to being cut short not more that twenty minutes ago and she was once again faced with her own mortality. Loki couldn't call it 'pathetic' anymore, and when she grasped his hand as he turned to leave, and he stared into her honey brown eyes, he didn't want to call it that. Instead he found it simply _sad._ Sad that any moment, this gift that you had and cherished above all else could be ripped from you without you so much as having a say in the matter.

Loki's eyes strayed to her fingers desperately wound around his, feeling the slight tugging that pulled him closer to her. "Please, stay," she whispered, afraid that the request was too much to ask of him. Feeling overcome by a feeling that he was unfamiliar with, Loki nodded and turned to turn off the lights as she stripped out of her clothes, allowing him to change into the sweatpants that she had bought him.

Climbing into bed, Loki kept some space between the two of them, finding himself in uncharted territory. Her body was shaking slightly - from the cold or the recent events, he did not know. He found himself, for one of the first times in his long life, unsure of what to do. Loki was confident in every sense of the word, but comforting someone? Not in his skill asset.

Keeping the space between them, Erin reached out her hand to grasp his own, her small fingers wrapping around his. They both remained silent, lost in their thoughts. Although neither of them made a move to lessen the distance between their bodies, their fingers remained intertwined. Even after Erin's breathing grew slow and deep, Loki remained awake, wondering how her small hand had managed to tether him to this world.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello lovies! So this Chapter was starting to get a little long so I had to cut it somewhere. I appreciate all the love being sent my way, especially from Sparkel - I won't abandon this as long as you keep reading! I hope this is coming off smoothly: the transition of Loki and Erin's relationship into friendship with maybe a hint of something more... I have this story mapped out and I hope that I can execute it with the finesse that I have in my mind e_e we'll have to wait and see. Thanks for sticking around, friends, and as always please review and enjoy! RinFox out. B)**

The morning sunlight filtered in through the open window, causing Erin to roll away from the harsh brightness and onto her side, bunching the fluffy comforter closer to her body. With great effort, she opened her eyes one by one, fighting the crust and sand around them.

Beside her was empty space - the crisp, cream colored sheets appearing undisturbed. Erin would not have thought twice about it except for the lingering lavender fragrance that was now laced in the linen. The scent was so ingrained into Erin's very being that she could not imagine a time before Loki - before the fateful morning in The Rabbithole. When had that been, two weeks ago? It wasn't a large amount of time, but there was something about the raven haired god that made him familiar. As if there was an unspoken connection between them. Erin let out a sigh.

 _Or maybe he's just somewhat... attractive._

No, she knew it was more than that. He caught her when she fell off that ladder, saving her from breaking or twisting any limbs. He was there when she needed help getting away from the drunk man at the club a couple nights ago; and last night he had pushed her out of the way of that car. Thinking of it now, it seemed as though she had an awful streak of bad luck since he had arrived. Maybe it was because she had taken on the role of a damsel in distress and he fit the role of her knight in shining armor rather nicely given his otherworldly powers and his charming good looks. Erin had never needed a knight, though. She wasn't a damsel no matter the times she found herself in distress. Granted, she had lived pretty carelessly to begin with, but now there was excitement, and it slept on her couch.

Rubbing the rest of the previous night's sleep from her eyes, Erin swung her legs over the edge of the bed and shuffled into the kitchen, finding Loki already awake at the table in his usual chair. His eyes were cast downward, his hair a curtain blocking her from his view.

"Good morning," she managed to croak out, still searching for her voice.

No movement was made from the man.

"How is your morning going?"

Nothing.

"Did you sleep well?"

Not even a grunt.

"Did you sleep at all?"

A single slender eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. _Now we're getting somewhere._ Did he actually sleep when he lowered his body next to hers last night? He hardly moved a muscle and Erin nearly kicked herself for giving into the moment of vulnerability she had when she pleaded him to stay with her throughout the night. Did he even stay the entire night? Or did he leave once she fell asleep, desperate to get as far away from her as possible? Or was it all just an illusion? _No._ He may not have stayed with her the whole time, but there was no denying the touch of his hand on hers. Although Loki remained mostly standoffish and aloof, his cool fingers interlaced with hers was all she needed as proof to know that he was real, and he was there - for her.

Loki cleared his throat, startling Erin from her thoughts as she stood before him in her small shirt and sweatpants. His eyebrow was still perfectly arched as he watched her over the pages of the book in his hands.

"So, uh, are you hungry?" She was pleased to see his second brow join his first, arching as his jade colored eyes brightened. Before he could change his mind, Erin set to making breakfast. She did not dare bring up last night, or how embarrassed she still had been, and Loki did not dare try a trick her again.

Several days had passed in near perfect harmony - more or less. Loki spent much of his days reading by Erin's window on her bed while she was at work, basking in the sun like some old house cat. By the time she got home, he would have already moved to the kitchen table as if he had never left the spot. She would cook for him and they would eat together in silence, occasionally talking about little things like books or poetry. Erin introduced him to some authors that she thought he might enjoy, particularly Shakespeare - who she discovered was, in fact, Asgardian. Loki enjoyed the young woman's company and conversation, but was too stubborn to admit it to himself, let alone her. After the incident with the car - the night they shared a bed - he had tried to forget the feel and closeness of her body, the delicate grasp of her fingers, and the soft sound of her breath as she slept soundly beside him.

Erin chose to put that night as far to the back of her mind as she could allow, vowing to never speak of it to him. When she left for work she was thankful for the time she had to escape him and the tense air that seemed to surround them for the first few days after _that_ night. Most days she would bring him back books that he could read, often finding him in the same seat he was in as from the morning. At first she was overcome with the guilt of him sitting in one place for so long - until she would go into her room and get changed, only to find a slight imprint of where he sat, along with his scent that still lingered. Erin slept much better on the days he occupied her room.

This morning was the same as the rest; Erin awoke to Loki, drinking tea at his spot at the table. Erin smiled to herself, remembering the first time she had shown him how to boil water. ' _Fire comes out of this?'_ he had asked. ' _Yes, and then you place the pot full of water over the flame and wait until it bubbles a lot.' '...I know that.'_ Since then every morning she found him with a fresh steaming mug, and sometimes a second for her as if he knew she would be waking up soon.

Erin busied herself with making a quick bowl of cereal, passing by Loki and patting his shoulder gently in greeting. "Morning," she grinned with cheeks full of coco puffs "how'd you sleep?"

"Well, thank you," he looked up, taking a pop tart into his mouth. He watched her scoop the chocolatey cereal into her mouth, the milk dripping onto her chin. The corner of Loki's thin lips tugged slightly before he reached across the table and with a gentle thumb wiped at the moisture on her chin. He tried not to notice the warm that spread to her cheeks - hell, it was hard enough fighting the pink hue in his own. After _that_ night in bed, Loki had tried keeping the contact to a bare minimum. He couldn't put a finger on why he felt so drawn to her, as if he could be who he truly felt he was around her. The very idea had unnerved him, so he worked at maintaining a safe distance until he could understand what caused the air between them. He quickly withdrew his hand with a tight lipped smile and sat in his chair, picking up the newspaper. "I don't understand Midgard and this paper of events. Really, is it important to know about this child's first day at school?"

Erin straightened, regaining herself. "Well, for one that is the local newspaper. Two, it adds something more lighthearted to discuss, instead of war and death."

"There would be less war is you humans knew how to talk and negotiate - you all lack grace and proper diplomacy."

Erin drew back from the table, raising her hands defensively as she carried her bowl over to the sink, "Don't shoot me, let the government know how you feel about their inadequacy."

"Oh I think I will," he smirked, folding the paper into his lap, "not that I already haven't demonstrated enough."

"Oh yeah, remind me how that worked out for you?" Chuckling at his dramatic eye roll, she retreated into her bedroom, pulling out something to wear to work. "Are there any books you'd like me to bring back for you?" she called out to him, "I know your selection here has gotten pretty small."

"I've read everything in this place three times over - something new would be greatly appreciated."

"You got it, boss." Emerging her room, she grabbed her shoes by the doorway, slipping them on with ease. "I have to go to the grocery store after work, do you want to go with me? You can meet me at the Rabbit Hole when I get done my shift."

"I suppose it'll be a pleasant change from my current routine."

"What exactly would you be doing if you were back at your home?" Erin asked hesitantly, always careful to bring up Asgard.

"Well, seeing as if I were home now then I would be imprisoned for the attack on New York, I would be doing the same thing there as I have been doing here… minus you and the pop tarts." He shrugged noncommittally at her concerned sigh.

"Oh." There was a pause. "Would you like to come to work with me? You can get out of the house for a little bit."

Loki smiled at her, appreciating her kindness, something he felt was rarely shown to him before he landed on this planet. "I think I'd like that very much."

Erin offered her hand to Loki and after a moment's hesitation he took it, accompanying her on her way to work.

It was a pleasant and quiet morning when they finally reached the bookstore. Stepping inside, Erin greeted Vince who was already sorting through a pile of well aged books that had taken shelter underneath an old end table that also doubled as a shelf. He looked up expectantly upon hearing the tinkle of the bell, surprised to find Erin accompanied by a tall, slender figure, his inky black hair blending in with his sophisticated black peacoat.

"Well good morning my dear, "he stopped his rummaging to give her a chaste kiss on the young woman's freckled cheek, "and who do we have here? A friend of yours, no doubt."

Loki stepped forward and extended a hand towards the older man, "Sam, a pleasure to meet you sir. Erin has spoke of nothing but wonderful things of this place. I am honored to finally be here to see it with my own eyes, and it nothing short of what she has told me."

Vince peered over his outdated bifocals with a paternal intensity before pulling Loki in by his outstretched hand and clapping him on the shoulder, "Bless you m'boy! No wonder why Erin has been so absent minded around here lately with a lad like you around."

Erin watched the exchange, rolling her eyes at Loki's proud stance and easy conversation with the old man, "Kiss ass."

Loki ignored her comment, still locked on the animated man who was still aggressively shaking his hand. "I assure you, Erin has nothing but the utmost respect for you. I hope I can live up to the standards of what she has told you of me."

"As a matter of fact, "Vince's eyes glanced over to Erin, who was still watching the exchange with bated breath, "she hasn't mentioned anything at all about you. Are you a boyfriend or…"

"He's actually a foreign exchange student staying with me, from Norway," Erin interjected, feeling uncomfortable with the uncharted territory in which the conversation was headed. "He's just staying with me to experience all the wonders of our country."

"Oh, well you're in the perfect place for that - Philadelphia is probably the most historic city in the country. This is the birthplace of our freedom!"

"Vince, you're from Poland."

"Ah, ah, ah, my dear," he hushed her, "that doesn't mean I can't be proud for America's accomplishments. Now, where is Norway are you from? I've done my fair share of traveling in my youth."

"Oh, um," Loki faltered momentarily, "it's a few miles North of Stockholm."

"Stockholm... Sweden?"

Erin couldn't fight the palm slap to her forehead.

Loki attempted to recover himself. "Pardon me, I meant to say that my father is from Stockholm. My mother raised me and we lived in -"

"Narvik!"

Both of the men turned to the redhead.

"S-Sam, didn't you say Narvik was where you were from? Because I mispronounced it and then you corrected me," Erin's voiced cracked as she laughed awkwardly, "you made that joke about Narvik and," more high pitched laughter, "oh you had to be there."

An uncomfortable silence settled between them as the trio stared at each other awkwardly.

"Yes, well any friend of Erin's is surely a friend of mine. You are welcome here any time." He gave Loki one last clap on the shoulder before returning to the neglected books he was sorting through prior to their arrival.

Once Vince was out of earshot, Loki leaned forward to speak hushly into her ear, "In the future, allow me to handle the talking."

"Cause you were doing so well on your own just now," she whispered backed heatedly.

"I had it under control."

"Sure you did." Patting his arm patronizingly, she set to starting her day at work, leaving Loki to peruse the store, selecting books and thumbing through the pages before placing them back in their designated space on the shelf carefully.

It was when he settled into the familiar plush chair on the upper floor by the window did Vince approach Erin who was sweeping dust and debris out the front steps of the building. "So," he started, "this Sam fellow, seems like a nice guy. It's a wonder you've never mentioned him before."

Erin stopped her sweeping and looked at the older man, chasing the loose strands of hair away from her face. "What do you mean? I've mentioned him in passing before."

Vince held up a wrinkled hand to her. "Save it, my dear. I don't need you making up your stories - you're awfully bad at it. Just know that, when you are ready, I'll be here to listen."

Erin turned to Vince, who was staring out towards the park across the street, the tall trees void of life with their naked branches splintering out towards the cold sunny sky. His gaze still trained on the trees, he reached an arm around her shoulders, grasping her gently, "You know, Katerina and I never had any children of our own and I… I just wanted you to know that you've always been like a daughter to me. Which is why if there's anything that you want to share with me, I'm all ears."

Erin smiled and looked away, "Not that you would believe me," she muttered.

Before Vince could respond, a couple of young women approached the Rabbit Hole giggling and chatting animatedly with each other.

The pair shuffled out of the way, greeting the customers. "Hello ladies, happy you stopped in," Vince clasped his hands in front of himself, "Is there anything I can help you look for?"

"No, thank you," one of the girls replied, "we're just browsing." The group pushed passed him and made their way around the store, giggling quietly to one another as they went.

Erin went back to her cleaning, lost in her thoughts when she heard the girls travel upstairs. It wasn't until she heard their quiet laughter evolve into giddy cackling that she remembered Loki was upstairs as well. _Hmm, I wonder if his ears hurt as much as mine by the sound of them._ She chuckled to herself at the thought of his teeth grinding behind his thin lips while his furrowed brows conveyed the ire he held for the group.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a deep baritone that managed to sound as smooth as honey as it dripped from the air. Was that… Loki? She had never heard him laugh before. It sounded quite nice, she decided. She briefly wished that she was funny enough to make him laugh. Whatever was going on up there was none of her business though; he was allowed to do as he pleased without her prying. She pulled her attention back to sweeping and resumed, albeit a bit more harshly.

"You're sweeping, Erin, not sanding the wood," Vince called to her, pulling a fresh stack of textbooks out of a dusty shelf to wipe down, "want to go upstairs and check on the young ladies?" He eyed her pointedly, not talking about the 'young ladies' at all.

As she was about to come to a decision, the sound of several footsteps parading down the stairs caused them to shift their attention to Loki as he waltzed towards the front desk, followed by the four girls each carrying books in their hands. The tall man turned to Vince expectantly, "These lovely women would like to make a purchase."

Vince quickly scrambled over to the group, making simple transactions with each girl and sending them off. They politely bid their farewells to the old man, but each stopped to give their own personal goodbye to the charming man. Erin couldn't fight the groan that spilled out of her mouth. Vince turned to her, a glint in his eye, "He's welcome here any time." He turned back toward the younger man waving at the girls' retreating backs, humor lacing his voice, "...foreign exchange, my ass!"

Nearing the end of her shift, Erin said goodbye and good night to vince, giving him a quick hug and grabbing her cardigan and shrugging it on while Vince happily shook Loki's hand and expressed his desire to see more of him in the future. Loki promised he'd make the effort to come back again soon and pulled his peacoat on, buttoning it with ease. He turned to Erin and offered his arm politely, "Shall we?"

She nodded and took his elbow lightly, careful to not lean into him too much, and made for the door. They stepped out into the crisp night air, shielding themselves from the wind that rushed past their faces.

"You seem awfully quiet today," Loki commented.

"What? Oh, just thinking."

"Would you care to share?" he grinned down at her.

"Not particularly," she returned with her own cheesy smile.

He shrugged, chucking at her childlike behavior, "Ok, ok, I won't push."

" _You,_ not push? But that's what you're best at." Erin feigned a gasp of surprise at the god.

He rolled his eyes, his voice growing dark and devious. "I didn't say that I wouldn't find out, sweetheart."

"I'd like to see you try," her voice faltered ever so slightly. "These lips are sealed." Erin mimicked locking her lips with a key.

"Fair enough. You win for now." They walked together in silence once more, comfortable in each other's company. "Could we get some more pop tarts at the store, please?" Loki piped up, hoping if he asked nicely she would say yes.

She released his elbow, "Sure we can," she stuttered as she wrapped her arms around herself, conserving her warmth.

Loki noticed her shaking slightly under the pressure of the winter winds as they whipped around her. Wordlessly, he unbuttoned his own coat and shed it from his body, laying it gently over Erin's shoulders as she slipped her arms through the sleeves. She smiled gratefully up at him, "Thank you," she breathed.

He looked away, burying a hand in his trouser pocket and bringing the other one around to rub at her shoulder, generating as much warmth as he was able to give her.

Once the pair returned home from their food shopping, Erin busied herself with unloading the bags in the kitchen, Loki only helping by retrieving his pop tarts from the plastic bags and tearing open the box to eat one.

"No no no," Erin snatched the box from his grasp, placing them in a high cabinet out of view as if that would prevent him from getting to them, "I'm cooking dinner and you are not going to have your appetite spoiled by pop tarts, no matter how delicious they may be."

Loki frowned at her, visibly disappointed. When did he allow this mortal woman to call the shots? Life certainly was cruel.

"Fine. I'm going to take a shower then." He trudged into the bathroom, shedding his clothes from his body and placing them in the hamper Erin showed him was meant for dirty clothes. He turned to the mirror, observing himself for what felt like the first time since he checked out his bruised and battered body in Erin's bedroom. Now, his slender frame was completely free of blemishes, and his sallow, gaunt face had filled in and gained healthy coloring from the meals Erin had been cooking for him. He found himself grateful for her kindness and generosity. Of course, he could have forced her to shelter him, but she did it all on her own. She _willingly_ allowed him to stay in her home, and cared for him went he was at his weakest on Midgard. He smiled to himself, allowing the hand she had held to trace the contours of his body. His body twitched at the thought of her small hand instead of his own touching his body until… he jerked his hand away in frustration. He had more dignity than this, caressing his body to the memory of a Midgardian woman. He was above these boyish fantasies that elicited shameful actions. Nonetheless, she was a woman, and he a man - more or less - and he was prone to occasionally giving into sinful desires. He had been with women before, obviously, but did not care much for the vulnerability of baring one's soul to another being - a mortal being, at that. Erin had changed something inside of him - rewired his person to see and feel things a differently - or maybe she didn't change anything at all, but just gave him the ability to allow himself to express freely. Loki pinched the bridge of his nose, cursing himself and forcing away his train of thought.

Turning to face the shower, he twisted the knob a few times to get the water to its desired heat. Next to the shower he reached into the tiny closet that possessed all the clean fluffy towels crammed inside. Reaching for the highest shelf, Loki tugged at the fabric, pulling a little harder than necessary when not only the towel was freed but a semi thick packet of papers came tumbling out behind it, hitting the cheaply tiled floor with an unceremonious _thud._

Curious, Loki disregarded the useless cloth and reached for the papers, examining them over before he focused on the words typed in the center of the front page: _Warring Heart by Erin Abernathy._

"What do we have here?" Loki muttered aloud, thoroughly intrigued by the treasure in his hand. He flipped through a few pages, soaking in as much as his eyes would allow before a sudden knock was heard at the door.

"Did you fall asleep in there? Dinner's on the table; it'll get cold if you -" the door was suddenly opened to reveal Loki, steam from the shower escaping the confined space behind him. A towel was wrapped snug around his waist and his skin had a light sheen from the mist of the water. Erin forced her eyes to remain trained on his face until she noticed a familiar object peeking out from behind his back.

"What is that?"

"What is what?" he inquired back at her. _Idiot, you're better than that!_

"That - behind your back." She made to reach for it when Loki suddenly sidestepped her, pushing past her and allowing himself more space from her in the kitchen. She rushed after him, and unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. It couldn't be what she thought it was, could it?

"Tell me, my dear Miss Abernathy," he sounded out her surname like it was a complex waltz that he had mastered overnight, "could you please be so kind as to educate me on your - what was it - second world war?"

"Loki," she seethed, "where did you hear about World War two?"

"Why, from your book of course!" he teased, pulling the packet from behind his back, thumbing through the pages cockily. "And hear I was in the presence of an author," he joked halfheartedly, not moving when she rounded the table towards him.

"Please give it back to me," she asked as nicely as she could, attempting to calm the fire on her face. He only responded by holding above his head. She groaned, "Do you _have_ to be such a pain?"

"Only to you, my dear." He chuckled at her futile attempt at reaching for her story. "Why don't you let me read it? You've let me read everything else in your home, what's one more created by my very own rescuer?"

"Because," she stared down at her naked feet, wiggling her toes anxiously, "no one has ever read it before and, I, I'm not ready."

"Nonsense! I'm going to read it, and then you'll find out if it's truly good or not." He flashed her a charming smile.

"No, that's exactly what I _don't_ want to happen." Erin pawed at her hair, sighing dejectedly, "I don't want to know what anyone thinks, because if it's bad then it won't be special anymore."

"Sweetheart," Loki lowered her book and used his free hand to lift her chin gently, encouraging her to look into his sage colored eyes, "I'm not 'anyone.' If you want to keep it private, I won't invade. I won't lie, I'll be dying to know what kind of romantic drama you've got cooked up in there," he tapped her temple, his lips tugging slightly at the corners.

Erin inhaled his familiar sent as he placed the papers in her awaiting hands. She held it there for a few moments, before handing them back to him and taking a step back. "So, what you should know before reading is that World War II was a global war that lasted between 1939 and 1945…"


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello Lovies! I'm so sorry for the delay, it has been a pretty busy two weeks. I'm excited to see all those who are giving Show Me Love a chance! Sparkel, you of course I know will be with me until the very end and KiKira33 I totally should have more reviews and follows, but not many people can recognize true art *dripping sarcasm* haha! I'd like to have another chapter out by the end of next week. Also, I'm thinking about writing a Bucky fanfic if anyone would be interested in reading that...? I have a feeling there may also be a sequel to Show Me Love ;) RinFox out B)**

"Good morning, chica, how you feeling?" Anna's chipper voice invaded Erin's ears through her phone, more unwanted than the bright sunlight burning the previous night's sleep from her eyes.

"Mmm, Anna, What time is it?" Erin grumbled, folding her arm over her face and dropping the phone on the empty space next to her head, still able to clearly hear her friend's overly pleasant voice. "Why could you possibly want from me?"

"First, it's 7 o'clock which is when most adults start their day. Secondly, I wanted to know if you wanted to get together - maybe grab lunch or drinks." Erin could hear a deep inhale on the other line. "I also wanted to say I'm sorry about the other night at the bar for not really believing you about Loki. I know now you were in a tough place and you just needed someone to listen to you instead of poking holes in your story. I mean, I'm sure you'd understand how unbelievable it would come across to just about everyone - I mean, you essentially said you're harboring an alien fugitive."

Erin listened to her apology, Anna's sweet voice undoubtedly sincere. She took a few deep breaths, unsure of what to say. Maybe it would be better if she retracted everything she had told Anna that night, summing it up simply as her imagination getting the best of her. It would be difficult, but she didn't want to share Loki's true identity entirely - she enjoyed being the sole human being that possessed that knowledge. However, no humans knew who Loki was from the New York invasion - there were more serious matters focused on the frightening mechanical aliens flying through the sky. "It's okay Anna, I, um… I was on _a lot_ of drugs that night and… I've been having these weird dreams." She searched for any excuse that seemed believable to her friend, " _And_ I had been drinking an awful lot that day. I guess you're one of my very few friends and I really feel like I can talk to you, even when I am drunk, you know?"

"Of course, baby, you can always talk to me. Why don't we all get some drinks later today - Gabe is working tonight and I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. Sound good?"

"Sure thing. Okay, I'll see you later." Ending the call, Erin tossed the phone away from her, feeling the small object land somewhere on the plush sheets by her thigh. Stretching her body out like a cat, she could feel her joints and muscles popping and pulling with every twist and turn of her limbs. She slid sleepily from her bed and padded into the kitchen where she was surprised to find it empty. Erin curiously poked her head into the living room, finding Loki still sleeping rather soundly on her couch. She smiled at the sight of him snuggled underneath a small black blanket, the t-shirt and sweatpants Erin had bought him poking out from underneath.

Wanting to let him sleep some more, she returned to the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker, pulling out the pop tarts from the cabinet to put in the toaster. Erin bit back a laugh as she thought about Loki's first interaction with the dreaded toaster. She had showed him how to place the bars in the individual slots and to press down on the spring for it to start heating. It seemed easy enough until they were finished, popping up and out of the kitchen appliance. Loki was so startled by the sudden action that he magicked two small daggers in his hands at the sudden offense, causing Erin to double over laughing. After his initial embarrassment, the god joined in, chuckling wholeheartedly at himself. It was a pleasant memory, and seeing him still resting on her couch only proved how comfortable he had grown since his first arrival.

Pouring them both a cup of coffee and grabbing their pop tarts, she placed them on the table and went to wake the god. She stood over him for a moment, observing his features, sharp and angled, but his whole face possessed a childlike innocence while he slept. Erin swept his hair from his face, the black tresses shockingly soft, like refined silk. "Hey," she whispered softly.

Loki's hand found its way around her wrist, firmly grasping her small hand that was hovering over his face. Erin let out a startled gasp as she was pulled over to hover over the god. Startled from sleep and surprised from the sudden invasion on his personal space, Loki quickly regained himself and released her hand, careful to not be too rough with her. "My apologies," he groaned out, sitting up and trying to appear as though we was already wide awake. Erin pulled away and smiled sweetly at him, trying to let him know it was okay - she truly believed after all this time that he would never purposefully hurt her.

"It's okay. I was just letting you know that I made you breakfast - coffee and pop tarts, what could be better than that?"

"Coffee," he rolled the word over on his tongue, recognizing the popular morning beverage, but unable to identify an experience where he actually drank it. "I've never had coffee before."

"Are you serious? It's what keeps the world moving. Everyone loves coffee!"

"I thought your worlds revolved around a star."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Ok, very funny. Come on," she gripped his hand, tugging him along with her into the kitchen. He sat himself down and inspected the mug of steaming black liquid.

"This looks like what we used to poison traitors to Odin some hundred years ago."

"Oh yeah, did your parents tell you those horror stories to make sure you stayed on your best behavior?"

"Not exactly. I was the one that administered it to them."

Erin choked on her pop tart, coughing aggressively. " _You?_ You used to do that to people?"

"Well it didn't necessarily kill them, just caused their organs to burn for weeks. That was ages ago though, back when Vikings still roamed your land."

Erin stared at him across the table with, a mixture of concern and curiosity tightening around her eyes. "Loki, I don't mean to be rude but... how old are you?"

The god thought for a moment, leaning back in his chair and tapping at his chin. "A thousand years - one thousand and fifty one, to be exact." He shrugged, biting into a pop tart.

"W-what. You _can't_ be, there's no way." Erin's voice was reaching a pitch that were offensive to Loki's ears, she was sure with the way he winced at her.

"I'm a god, darling, what would you expect?" he drawled at her.

Erin paused. She nearly forgot that Loki was a god, well almost nearly. He was immortal, as well as highly intelligent and incredibly strong despite his lean form. He also possessed qualities that made him seem so much more human than he let on - humor, contentment, anger, vulnerability. He would never in his lifetime admit it, but she could see it over the time they've spent together. It might be a tad unfair for her to say since he's only had nearly all of his interactions with her, but all of his most true human qualities seemed to be expressed explicitly with her. She couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at the thought of being the only person he could feel that comfortable with.

Erin continued to sip at her coffee, enjoying the taste of the bitter liquid on her tongue. Loki watched her, briefly staring at his own mug. He cautiously picked it up, cradling the cup between his slender fingers. She watched him take a sip, his handsome face twisting into that of disgust before setting it down as far from him as possible. Loki's eyes met hers, and Erin found herself reminded of the time her mother told her that cough syrup tasted like fruit juice. "Not good?"

"It _tastes_ like the poison too," he shuddered, "maybe worse."

Erin covered her mouth, failing to keep from laughing at his childlike behavior. "Here, I'll fix it up for you." She took another gulp of her coffee, to Loki's horror, and made her way to the fridge, pulling out a pint of creamer and from the cabinet a small bowl of sugar. Reaching for his cup, she scooped two heaping spoonfuls of sugar and poured a pinch of cream in, watching the black liquid lighten to a rich beige. Satisfied with her work, Erin placed the cup back in front of him. "Try it now."

A little apprehensive, Loki lifted the cup to his lips once more, taking a tentative sip. His eyes widened in shock before he took more into his mouth, enjoying the taste of sugar on his tongue. "Are you sure you're not a witch?" he questioned her, his eyes lingering on her bottom lip that was somewhat hidden between her teeth.

She laughed at him, "No, sadly I'm not; I just figured you had more of a sweet tooth than you let on. However, that face of yours was priceless the first time you drank it." Her voice rang out once more in bubbling laughter before she sat back down in her chair and sipped on her own black coffee. "I assume it's because you act so bitter and stoic that you just naturally crave sweet things to balance yourself out."

"That's ridiculous, I hope you know that." His eyes leveling on hers while he chewed on his lip. "So you drink this," he lifted his mug, "bitter, tasteless coffee because you happen to be so sweet and kind in all facets of your meaningless life?"

"Precisely," she said back, confidently avoiding his jab at her. "Now, eat up because we're going out today, and you'll be meeting a few friends of mine."

"That sounds exhausting."

"Oh, it will be." She smirked at him from across the table. "So, um," she looked down into her cup, "did you happen to finish my manuscript?"

"I did not, yet at least. So far it's enjoyable - you're quite talented." Loki noticed her reddening cheeks and small smile. He enjoyed that expression on her, it was a face she only seemed to make around him.

"Well, I'm gonna get ready, you should too. It's pretty warm out today and I thought we not head to the park for a few hours and get some sun."

Loki and Erin spent the entire afternoon in the little park across from the bookstore, each borrowing a book to read while they laid out in the sun. There was a light breeze that tamed the heat of the sun and the grass was soft enough for them to take their shoes off, which they did. Erin couldn't help but watch Loki as he stretched out on the ground, his legs casually crossed at the ankle as his hand supported his torso. He looked so peaceful - she wasn't sure if the god had known much peace in his life, _inner peace_ of course. She sat her body next to his and decided to lean her head against his lap, an action that momentarily surprised them both. Loki soon settled into the weight of her against his thigh and at throughout the day found himself stroking her hair well after she had dozed off with her open book resting on her stomach.

As the day was nearing to a close, they left the park and headed to Erin's usual watering hole to meet Anna and Gabe.

"So, do you have any friends that you miss back home?"

"No." Loki turned and saw Erin's shoulders deflate as her attempt at a conversation was suddenly shot down. He sighed, "I kept to myself most of the time. Growing up, my only friend was really Thor, but he was friends with everybody so they only tolerated me because I was always with him. It was… sad as a child, but I grew to crave solitude more than the company of those who never wanted to be around you to begin with."

They continued on in silence, and eventually Loki felt Erin's small arm wrap around his torso, her cheek flush against his chest. "For what it's worth, I enjoy spending time with you." Loki smiled down at the top of her head, finally pressing his cheek into her hair and hugging her in return.

"Me too."

They stepped into Anything Goes, shaking the cold night air from their persons. Erin immediately spotted Anna at the end of the bar chatting with Gabe and she headed straight for the pair, her hair flowing behind her in copper waves. "Hey Anna," she called, reaching her friend and hugging her tightly.

"What's up chickadee? You look exceptionally adorable today." Anna remarked, taking in Erin's loose sweater and perfectly shaped jeans.

"Why thank you very much," she smiled, cocking her hip and resting her hand on her waist. Her eyes traveled to Gabe who stood behind the bar in his tight shirt, muscled glory. "What's up Gabe, still haven't found any new hires?"

"It hasn't been easy," he chuckled, flexing his arms across his chest, "but we have Brad starting here after the weekend and we're looking to hire this girl - Heather - I just haven't made the call yet."

"Surprised she wasn't his _first_ call," Anna quipped, earning a glare from the Gabe.

"Oh? Is she a cutie?" Erin asked, wiggling her eyebrows at Gabe suggestively.

"Well, I happened to be here on the day she dropped off her application," Anna started, her tone lowering, "and let's just say she's got quite the little figure on her - tight ass, long legs, perky tits. Threw in something about being a cheerleader for the Eagles."

"Well she sure does sound like quite the lady. Gabe, you have to get on that!" Gabe grumbled in agreement before Erin's attention was brought back to Loki, who was standing behind the trio at a distance and shifting his weight on his feet. Erin cleared her throat and gestured to Loki, pulling him next to her as she announced, "Guys, this is Sam. He's a friend of mine who is staying with me from out of town. Uh, Sam, this is Anna and Gabe."

Loki reached out a firm hand and shook Anna's hand, who returned it with a wide eyed and slightly quivering grasp, and then Gabe's who firmly returned the shake with a tight lipped smile.

"It's nice to finally meet the person that's been taking up all of Erin's time," Anna regained her composure and smiled meaningfully at the two of them. "How long are you planning on staying, Sam?"

"Uh, well until the end of the year, roughly." Loki answered, albeit slightly unsure of how much information was good to divulge to this new group.

"Yeah, he's just exploring his options for future possible locations to move to," Erin added.

"That's great, where are you from?"

Erin intercepted the question, answering confidently, "Oslo, Norway. He did spend a few year in Stockholm, though - isn't that right, Sam?" She stared daggers into Loki's pale green eyes, making sure he understood this was the story they were sticking with and was happy to see the affirmative nod he returned.

Gabe chimed in, halting the interrogation if only for a brief moment, "So, can I get you guys anything? Well, I already know what Erin wants," his gaze slid over the young woman before returning to Loki, "but what's your poison, man?"

Loki did not like this guy very much. Now that he was able to interact with the well structured adonis in person, he was reminded of how much like Thor this Gabe guy really was. He easily gained the attention of everyone because of his good looks and commanding presence. He was kind and easygoing and was undoubtedly sure of himself when it came to getting what he wanted. Loki just hoped that he didn't want Erin. He then watched as the bartenders eyes hungrily traveling the length of the woman's body once more. _Of course he does._ The god tried shaking the irritating thought from his mind before it festered.

"I'll, uh, have whatever you have on tap," he answered, recalling what he heard men say before when Loki followed Erin to the bar before she had met him. Gabe nodded and after a few minutes, came back with a pint of beer for Loki, who thanked him while slipping his arm possessively around Erin's waist.

Anna rolled her eyes, "Check your testosterone at the door, _gentlemen."_

Erin responded with a giggle before rubbing Loki's back reassuringly and unraveling herself from him. "So Anna, where's hubby this weekend?"

Her friend groaned into her drink, taking a large gulp of her vodka cranberry. "He's off with the mistress yet again, living a glamorous life of infidelity."

"Sweety... aren't you still seeing that fitness instructor?"

"Oh, no! He left after he discovered that Victor the veterinarian and I were still sleeping around." Both women burst into a fit of laughter upon hearing the conversation they just had.

"Well as long as you have your morals." Erin remarked dryly.

Loki watched the two women in their exchange, sitting on the stool opposite of Erin. For a moment he was briefly reminded of feeling like the outsider once again like with Thor; it wasn't a pleasant feeling, but it was a feeling that Loki had grown used to over time. However, with Erin, it felt worse - like he was in a room with a single candle that was suddenly blown out and all he could feel was the cold dark emptiness from the four walls closing in around him. He shuddered at the very thought, until Erin's small hand found his, her fingers interlacing with his own. A small smile graced Loki's lips, knowing that she would never let him feel a loneliness like that while she was around.

"So, Sam," Anna interrupted his thoughts, "tell me how we can get you to spend more time with us while you're staying here." She smiled at him, a sultry smile hinting at her lips.

Loki returned the smile and joined in on the girls lighthearted chatter, with Gabe occasionally checking in, and Loki couldn't help but feel like he was a part of something that he had never truly known.

The moon was high in the blackened sky when Loki and Erin said their goodbyes to Anna and Gabe, Erin visibly intoxicated after her many drinks with Anna. Loki kept his hand firmly positioned at her back to steady her slightly wobbly figure.

"It was a pleasure meeting you both," Loki said sincerely to Erin's friends as they all made their way to the door, "I hope we can do this again."

"Of course we can! Now, you get our baby home safe and sound for us," Anna cooed, pinching Erin's already pink cheeks playfully before turning to face Loki fully, "and maybe I'll get to show you around the city sometime if you're ever free."

Loki nodded obliviously to her before turning to Gabe. The bartender scratched the back of his head, extending his hand towards Loki in the shape of a fist. Loki stared at in curiosity before wrapping his own slender hand around it, shaking it awkwardly. They broke away, uncomfortably avoiding the other's eyes.

"Take care of her," Gabe muttered to Loki, turning to Erin and ruffling her hair. She giggled and swatted his hand away, "Guys, I'm not moving across the country - just going home to bed, and I'm not _that_ drunk!"

"Sure you're not, sweety." Anna appeased the young woman, "I'm gonna head home myself; it's been a pretty long day." She started walking off in the opposite direction of the couple and in the direction of her home.

Gabe took his cue to go back inside, "See ya guys," leaving Erin and Loki to start their walk home, Erin occasionally tripping over invisible obstacles.

"That was fun! Did you have a good time?" She tilted her head up to Loki, searching for any expressions that would give him away.

"They were interesting people."

" _Good_ interesting?" she fished.

" _Interesting_ interesting." he laughed at her face as it contorted into a pout, her eyebrows knitting together comically. "You're no fun," she whined at him in a childish manner.

Loki couldn't help but laugh at her behavior, the immaturity she possessed more endearing than annoying. "I never said I was, darling. However, I happen to find myself quite entertaining."

"Yeah, a real hoot." She moved her eyes in what he could only guess was an uncoordinated eye roll. They only had another few blocks to go until he could get her to bed. "Does Thor possess your degree of humor?"

Loki grew quiet for a few moments and Erin wondered if his brother was a subject that was best left alone. Erin, for the most part, tried avoiding the topic after noticing how he avoided it, but the liquid courage flowing through her veins at the time was not going to take no for an answer. Erin was still surprised at his voice answering her question.

"He was funny is his own way. If you could think of a big dumb brute then you are not far off from my brother." He smiled to himself, seeming to forget the woman walking with him. "We'd often play harmless pranks on each other; he would throw my favorite books into the eternal flame when - when our father wasn't watching over us, and I would turn into a snake and stab him." He smirked at the memory.

"' _Harmless pranks?'_ You could have killed him!" she exclaimed, appalled by how both brothers had treated one another. Loki's expression doesn't falter as he watches her range of emotions - shock, curiosity, bewilderment, awe. Erin wasn't angry or afraid of Loki's powers, but she was puzzled by them and found herself wondering just the extent of Loki's powers. A memory flashed before Erin's eyes - emerald green scales slithering towards her as she walked towards the bar on a particular sunny day. " _You?!_ You were the snake I saw that one day, weren't you?" Judging by the mischievous glint in her companion's eye, she'd say she had been correct. "Were you going to play that prank on me?!"

"No! No, no of course not." He chided her, ushering her past the front door of her house. He easily led her into her bedroom, allowing her to sit on her bed as he turned on the light so they could see easier. Once the light filtered through the room, Erin pulled her sweater over her head, revealing a black bra. Loki averted his gaze respectfully, feeling a tightening in his stomach as he heard her unzip her pants and toss them onto the floor. His thoughts were firmly trained on a stray sock on the floor when he felt her gentle fingers slide across his palm as she pulled him over to the bed with her. Erin pulled back the covers and slid between the sheets, her grasp on Loki firm. He pulled his hand from hers and took the comforter, pulling it up over her shoulders. Erin smiled gratefully at him and snuggled further into her bed, Loki watching her fondly.

"Stay here? Just until I fall asleep." Her voice sounded small and timid, nervous for wanting to be in his company like this. She kept her eyes down, hidden behind long dark lashes.

Loki reached forward and patted her head, her hair coiling around his fingers like copper snakes. "Get some rest, I'll be right here." He leaned forward and turned off the light by her head and then grabbed her manuscript from the dresser. Loki then settled into the foot of the bed and continued reading Erin's work by the light of the moon.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey there lovies! How's everyone's lives going? I'm fairly happy to present this chapter to you. Life has been a bit crazy for me.** **My grandma had passed less than a week ago. Rather than letting it debilitate me, I'd like to use her memory and flare for all things** **creative to inspire me. Excuse me if I'm bringing anybody down. Side note, I keep checking out my summary for Show Me Love. Looks** **a little boring, don't ya think? If anyone has an idea for something better, feel free to DM me with suggestions.**

 **ALilSweetNSour, I'm so happy you're hooked! I think Loki and Erin are pretty cute as well. :)**

 **Sparkel, I really don't know where the ideas for characters come from. Anna seems like a suitable balance for Erin without being too** **similar or different. No one is one dimensional though. I would like to have more interactions between her and Loki though because** **isn't pain needed? It's beautiful to write about when done properly, and I hope to deliver. :)**

 **Well, here it is, guys! I hope to share more soon. I love you all! RinFox out B)**

 _The skies were clear and blue, with a cool and gentle breeze that came in through an open window and caressed the form of a sleeping woman. Awaking, she turned to the love of her life, sleeping soundly next to her. She ran her hand over his chest, bringing her lips to his warm skin and laying kisses over his chest. "Good morning," her voice was low and sultry, her hands running seductively over her lover's body. He stirred only slightly, letting out a sigh of content at the feel of her hands. She slid lower, bringing one hand to rest on his stiff erection, grasping firmly. He let out a groaned at the welcome contact as she move her hand in rhythmic motions up and down, eventually pumping faster and faster. The man, now stirred into consciousness, was thrusting his hips into her hand, aching for more of her. She slowed to a stop, causing a strangled groan to slip from his lips._

" _You're not being very fair." He pouted at her, his hand running over her naked body._

 _She smirked at him, her hair falling in front of her face as she lifted herself to straddle her lover, positioning him at her entrance. "_ This _isn't fair," she asked as she slowly lowered herself onto him, tossing her head back and letting out a low breathy moan. He joined in with her, his hands grabbing her rear as she took all of him inside of her._

" _Well, it certainly is a good morning," he commented with a smirk as she rocked her hips on top of him. Building up speed, the woman continued to pump her body, lifting her completely off of him before taking him in again completely, each thrust releasing a more powerful moan before it grew into a cry for more._

 _Her lover had her rear in a vice grip, guiding her as his own thrusts grew more aggressive. He could tell she was close to cumming, he could always tell when she was close. Feeling her walls tighten around him, he came inside of her, feeling the rush of adrenaline coursing through him from his release and faintly hearing her cry out as she collapsed on top of him._

 _The woman smiled into his chest, kissing his sweaty flesh. They lay like that for a few minutes, enjoying their shared orgasm. "Ready for round two?"_

 _He lifted himself up and kissed her heatedly, his fingers twisting in her hair before using them to pull her away and bend her towards the top of the bed. Gripping her ass again, he positioned himself at her entrance once more, her heat dripping with a mix of both their juices. He pushed himself inside her, smirking when she called out his name._

Loki's body ached. It ached from the the cold morning air that quickly settled into his bones. It ached from the unnatural position it was forced to endure throughout the night - his torso twisted onto the side while his long legs stretched before him, his knees and calves unsupported and the muscles pulling at his body uncomfortably. His arm ached of pins and needles from supporting his head, and his eyes ached from the daylight threatening to burn his pupils if he dared open them. He would have moved, if it had not been for the warm body resting soundly next to his. Just when he thought he could continue to ignore the silent screams of his body, a shrill noise pummelled his aching ears, and then a leg struck him, causing his hand to rub at his now aching face.

He opened his eyes slowly, fighting the tears as he clutched at his nose in pain. Next to him was a leg, the warmth that he had clung to throughout the night, the warmth that had betrayed him by kneeing him in the bridge of the nose. Above him higher up on the bed, Erin scrambled to silence the angry sound coming from her phone, effectively dismissing it after several attempts. She then sunk back into her pillows, he face burying into them. Loki noticed her hair was uncharacteristically wild compared to most days that she had flattened it out with her odd hair flattening tools. He thought he quite liked it. Turning to the face the ceiling, Loki tried falling back into a half conscious sleep, glad to dream about happy things, until one of the "things" in question shot up from her place on the bed, suddenly frantic.

Erin rubbed at her eyes furiously before noticing the man laying at the foot of her bed in the same spot he was in as last night before she fell asleep. "Loki," she started, her voice rough and startled, "what are you doing? Did you fall asleep here last night?" She didn't even allow him the time to answer because a stronger question plagued her mind, "What's today?" She picked up her phone once again, squinting at the bright screen, "February, 24th… Saturday… Oh, _fuck!"_

Like a bat out of hell, the woman leaped from her bed and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Loki observed her abnormal behavior with more than a little concern. He could hear her rushed movements inside the bathroom as she opened cabinets and emptied objects into the sink. Rising from the bed and stretching his strained muscles, he followed Erin's path to the bathroom, stopping outside of the door. "Darling, is something wrong?" he asked, his voice smooth and tone relaxed, attempting to let it have that effect on the woman on the other side of the door. Erin opened the door abruptly, causing Loki to take a step back.

With a toothbrush dangling from her wet lips, she informed him in a tight voice, "My nephew - today is his birthday." Seeing that he required more of an explanation, she continued, "I got an invitation to his party today by my brother, but I haven't seen him since my nephew was born and before that it was even longer. I told myself I would go even though my brother and I haven't spoken in a long time, but now I overslept and I have to hurry or else I'll be late."

Loki nodded slowly, trying to understand.

Erin resumed scrubbing at her teeth, turning to the mirror above the sink and taking in her appearance. She groaned, using her fingers to attempt to comb out the tangles in her hair, "I guess I'll have to make do."

Loki continued standing outside the bathroom, shifting his weight to either foot, unsure of what he could do for the distressed woman. He was surprised at the selfless nature that had befallen him because of this woman, and when she suddenly turned to him, her eyes big and pleading and surrounded by her fiery locks, he knew that there was nothing in this realm or the next that he could not and would not deny her.

"Would you… would you come with me? I could really use someone to be there with me." she tugged at her lip slightly with her teeth, afraid that her need was too much to ask for from the god.

Loki nodded, attempting to throw off his eagerness to go with her with a small joke, "Anything would be better than spending the day alone in this house." The statement was delivered dry and was partially a lie because he knew that a day alone in this place would easily be doable if it was with her. Loki could see a grateful smile stretch her lips across her face and she wrapped her small arms around his middle, squeezing tightly, "Thank you so much." Loki could only respond by placing his own arms around her lightly, physical contact like this still foreign to him.

Pulling away, Erin turned back to her reflection, continuing her preparation, her smile now slight but still present.

Thirty minutes later, Loki found himself dressed in his black trousers and an emerald green sweater that Erin had bought him a week ago, proudly presenting it as if she had made it herself. This weather had been surprisingly cold lately and Loki discovered that he wasn't as immune to the chill the longer he was on Earth.

Erin had been rushing from bathroom to bedroom, hopping as she continued to move while pulling on her black tights and boots. She soon emerged from her bedroom, dressed in an oversized off white sweater that just covered her bum bum and was mere inches away from meeting her blacks boots that just covered her knees. Loki took her in, firmly deciding that he adored the way her copper curls danced their way down her shoulder blades. Grabbing a darker beige scarf and peacoat, she grabbed her car keys and turned to Loki, "let's do this."

Making their way out to the car, Loki can already sense something was different in the girl. She sucked on the inside of her cheek and kept smoothing down her hair though there was no wind to ruffle it. She unlocked their doors and together they embarked on a two hour journey to her brother's home.

After an hour of driving down what Erin called a 'turnpike' with only the sound of her fingers drumming frantically on the wheel, Loki had to put an end to the madness. "Darling, you seem to be a bit nervous. Everything alright?"

"Aside from not having seen or talked to my brother in practically a year? Actually _having_ to see and talk to him." She heaved a sigh at the irony of what she had said.

"Why go then? You don't seem seem to have a need for him."

"Loki, it's more than a need. He's my brother, and we're family."

Loki sneered, bitterness in his voice. "That doesn't mean anything."

Erin snuck a peek at Loki, sensing the tension radiating from the passenger seat. "Is that what you think about Thor?"

"That oaf is nothing to me than an obstacle in my way." Loki's voice was tight and angry, but it was only a thin layer barely masking the hurt that was threatening to escape him. "I don't need him anymore than he needs me." He felt that the words weren't true, and he knew that Erin could sense it as well, but Loki could not open up about it now, no matter how much he wanted to.

Although the topic of conversation wasn't very lighthearted, Erin found the talking calmed her slightly, especially feeling that it deflected from her current predicament. "I remember hearing once that you should not blame the son for the sins of the father. That's why I'm going to this party today, because my nephew is only a child and -" she paused, inhaling deeply, "- and my brother shouldn't be blamed for the sins of our mother." A heavy silence hung in between the two of them, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Erin's hands were shaking slightly on the wheel and Loki, noticing her struggling with her warring emotions inside of her, hesitantly reached out for her hand. His fingers found hers and he pulled them into his lap, stroking her smooth skin with his thumb. She cleared her throat, trying to focus on the miles of road stretched out before her. "You know, just like I shouldn't condemn my brother or his son… maybe you shouldn't condemn Thor for the actions of Odin."

Loki did not respond. The person he was before would have never let another being - let alone a mortal - into his world as he had let her in. The Loki he was before would have shrugged her off and cursed her for not knowing her place. The Loki he was now, the Loki that she had helped him become, had let her words turn over in his head like changing tides and he now found himself questioning the person he once was.

The sky grew cloudy as Erin's beat up white Toyota pulled in front of a polished townhouse with freshly cut grass. Her brakes squealed as the car slowed to a stop and she placed it in park before turning the ignition off. Shaking her hands free of any nervous jitters, she mentally prepared herself for the next few hours she was about to endure.

Getting out of the car, they walked across the lawn to the front door, a silver banner with the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY was pinned neatly across the front. Erin smoothed out her clothes again before raising her fist to the door, hesitating.

"Hey, hey," Loki clasped her shoulder, "everything is going to be fine. You'll do great and your brother will be thrilled to see you." He rubbed her backed comfortingly before his hand settled on the small of it, "I'm right here, darling, you don't have to worry."

She smiled up at him, grateful for the support he offered. Mouthing a 'thank you' to him, she knocked on the door. After a few moments, a woman a little older than Erin answered. She was a little shorter, with brown hair falling flat on her shoulders, and green eyes free of makeup that shone behind her black rimmed glasses. Her face conveyed a look of surprise as she greeted her new guests. "Erin! Welcome, I didn't think you were going to come." She reached for the woman, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug.

"Hey, Erica. It's good to see you."

Erica pulled away, holding Erin at arms length to look her over, "You look great. Joey will be so excited to see you. Come inside." Leading them through the front door, the short woman guided them into the living room where there was a sizeable crowd conversing. Pulling them towards a man talking genially with an elderly woman, Erica caught his attention. "Sweety, come see who made it to the party."

The man, Joey, turned to face his sister. Loki had to admit, the two of them didn't look anything alike. Whereas Erin's skin was fair and freckled, her brother's was tanned so that it made his pale blue-green eyes stand out. His hair was short and combed back, with strands of gray running through his mostly black hair. He appeared shocked to find his sister standing before him.

"Hey, Joe." Erin managed a small wave, shifting her weight on her feet.

Not uttering a word, he pulled her against him, crushing her to his chest as he hugged her. Erin brinked back tears, telling herself not to cry as she returned his hug. Time seemed to stand still for them.

He pulled away, a warm smile on his lips, "I'm so happy you're here."

"Me too," she smiled, stepping away to stand next to Loki, "this is Sam. Sam, this is my brother, Joseph, and his wife, Erica."

Loki stepped forward, shaking Joseph's hand firmly, and awkwardly returned Erica's enthusiastic hug.

"We're very happy you could both make it today," Erica beamed at them, "it's been too long!"

"I know I'm sorry for that - it's been, uh, difficult to find the time." Erin stole a glance at Loki standing beside her, his hand ghosting over the small of her back - a silent reminder that he was there if she needed him.

"Well, you're here now and that's all that matters. Wyatt will be so excited to see you."

"Speaking of, where is he?"

Erica surveyed the living room, "I'm sure my mother has him somewhere, taking hundreds of photos. I'll go get him and be right back." She then disappeared into the crowd, leaving Erin and Loki with Joseph.

"So, um, is Mom here?"

Her brother was silent for a moment, his face serious, "She's been _away_ for the past month or so. I don't know when she'll be back."

Erin rolled her eyes knowingly, disapoinment and anger flashing across her features briefly. "Do you really think she's gonna change?"

Joey sighed. "I don't know, but we have to hope. I want her to be there for my son."

"She wasn't there for us, Joey, what makes you think that she'd be there for him?"

"Erin, please, let's not talk about this now. Today is a special day," Joey squeezed her arm, "I'm so happy you're here."

Before Erin could say anything, Erica reappeared, an infant straddling her hip. "Guess who's here? She beamed at her son, pointing to Erin excitedly, "It's your Aunty Erin! Yes it is! She came all this way to see your handsome face!"

The little boy turned his large blue eyes on his Erin, his eyes wide with curiosity. Forgetting the conversation she had just shared with her brother, her eyes lit up at the sight of her nephew. She took him into his arms, smiling and cooing his name, "How's my little nephew? I missed you so much!" Wyatt, still taking in her appearance, reached out and touched her face, his little fingers grabbing at her nose and cheeks. She smiled at hm and allowed him to continue while she memorized his face. Her gaze broke briefly and she turned to her brother and his wife who were watching their son interact with his aunt. "Thank you guys, so much for having me here. I'm so happy to be here with you all."

A few hours into the party, Erin had long surrendered her nephew to the other eager women looking to see the boy, and searched for Loki, who had disappeared after he got caught in a long winded conversation with Erica's very talkative mother. It was starting to get pretty late and because they put Wyatt to bed, her mother was looking for anyone to focus her attention on. Loki happened to be the unlucky victim and once he saw the opportunity, Erin noticed he slipped out the sliding door and out into back yard. Erin followed him, eager to have a moment to herself as well.

She stepped out into the backyard, taking in the beautifully paved patio, the cobblestones cemented in an intricate pattern. An outdoor speaker was installed on the side of the house, playing gentle mood music to fit the ambiance of the party. She joined Loki, who was standing on the edge of the patio overlooking a clearing that was surrounded by tall, bare trees.

"Hey," she called softly, coming to stand beside him, "how are you enjoying yourself?"

"I must admit, I'm not really the type to be a part of gatherings such as this, but your brother seems like a good man with a good family," he glanced sideways at Erin, "I'm mostly happy I can be here for you."

"Thank you, by the way. I don't think I'd be able to do this without you."

Loki smiled, staring straight ahead, his fingers lightly brushing hers at his side. Only slightly could he feel her returning his simple caress.

"You asked about your mother." He felt her freeze. "Where is she?"

Erin was silent, raking her fingers through her hair. "Rehab. My mother has had many problems, and she felt that her children were not worth her cleaning up her act. She and I have never been close, but my brother still thinks that she can change. She'd likely change for him before me."

Loki didn't know what to say to that. He felt as though he and Erin were kindred spirits and had many similar experiences in their life that had caused them to grow so close, but Loki had loved Frigga with his whole being. She was the only person, now apart from Erin, who could truly understand him without judging the person he was. For Erin to not to not have a mother figure in her life had saddened him greatly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She turned to him, smiling. "Sorry for what? I'm great, never needed her, never will." Her eyes glistened, the excess moisture threatening to spill onto her cold and reddened cheeks. She turned away, wiping at her eye.

His heart breaking, Loki grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, cradling her head to his chest. She stiffened under him in surprise, before wrapping her arms around his middle, squeezing desperately at the material of his sweater. Loki could feel her body shudder, from the cold or her emotions he couldn't tell, but true to his word he was there to comfort her. "Shh," he hushed her, his hand running over her back soothingly. After a few minutes, he could feel her breath deepen and she lifted her head to look into his eyes, a warmth to them that he had never had with anyone. His face was so close to hers that he could make out the flecks of gold reflecting in her brown eyes. Loki brought a hand to her cheek and ran his thumb over her cheek, wiping at a stray tear. She leaned into his palm, bringing her own hand up to cover his. They stayed like that for a long moment, before she pulled away. "We should get back to the party."

He nodded, allowing her to lead the way back inside.

As the party drew to a close and nearly everyone had left, Loki found himself standing next to Joe as Erin was talking to Erica across the room. He watched as she laughed with the other woman excitedly about something he could not hear.

"She's great. Always has been great, my sister." Joe commented. "She seems a lot happier though. I don't know if you have anything to do with that," he smirked. "You seem good for her; I hope you plan on sticking around for awhile."

Loki frowned, never before wondering of how long he would be able to stay with her. "I'll stay as long as she'll have me."

"Well, if that's the case, then there will be plenty of more opportunities for us to get better acquainted." Joe laughed, slapping Loki on the back happily.

Erin then made her way over to the two men, smiling at the undoubtedly awkward conversation that must have transpired between the two of them. "We should get going, it's a pretty long drive back home."

"Of course," Joey pulled Erin into another big hug, speaking into her ear, "It was great seeing you, please come back. Wyatt needs his aunt."

Erin nodded, pulling away, "I promise."

Joey smiled and extended a hand to Loki, shaking his hand. "Sam, feel free to come back as well. It's been a pleasure having you here today." Loki smiled in return and thanked them for their hospitality.

Erin and Loki soon climbed into their car and drove home. Most of the ride was silent like before, but this time there was no tension or discomfort, but relief and during the ride, their hands had found each other's and rested comfortably intertwined in between them.

Once they made it home, they got out of the car and staggered towards the door, Erin looping her arm around Loki's for additional support, longing for the comfort of her bed. "I can't wait to crawl under my covers tonight," she groaned, reaching to unlock the front door.

"I'm definitely in agreement with that, darling." Loki actually welcomed the stiff cushions and thin blankets.

Finally pushing the door open, she stepped in and began to take off her coat, "What do you say I get a movie tomorrow and make some popcorn?" she asked, searching for the light switch in the living room

"I wouldn't say -" Loki froze as the light filled the room, revealing a familiar figure seated in wait.

"Hello, brother."


End file.
